The Election Commission has introduced a new section in the online version of Form 6, the application used for new voter registration, that asks applicants to state whether their own name or their parents’ names were part of the last Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls.

The change is visible on the ECINET portal, even though the statutory Form 6 itself has not been amended, according to The Indian Express.

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The ancestry question quietly arrives

The new declaration appears between Parts J and K of the online form, where applicants are asked to choose one of three options: that their name exists in the electoral roll of the last SIR; that their parents’ names — including father, mother, grandfather or grandmother — exist in the last SIR roll; or that neither their name nor their parents’ names exist there.

If the first two options are selected, the applicant is then asked to provide the Assembly constituency, booth number and serial number linked to the earlier entry.

The portal does not explain what happens if the third option is chosen.

One form, two rather different routes

According to the report, the new section is visible for applicants in states and Union Territories where the SIR has been completed in 2025-26 or is currently underway, with Bihar and Assam excluded.

The online form does not mark the declaration as mandatory, but applicants cannot proceed to submission without completing it.

The downloadable version of Form 6 available on the portal for physical filing does not contain this additional declaration.

Behind the form lies a larger exercise

The development comes against the backdrop of large-scale revisions to electoral rolls. More than 5.58 crore names have been deleted from electoral rolls in 10 states and three Union Territories since the SIR began last year, raising questions about the effect on the children of electors whose names were removed.

In West Bengal more than 27 lakh electors were deleted during adjudication and could not vote in the April elections while their appeals remained pending before tribunals.

Where procedure becomes the real question

Section 28 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 says the Central government has the power to make rules for carrying out the Act, including changes to electoral forms.

The legal route for amending Form 6 had not been followed.

A former EC official said, “The EC cannot even add a comma to the form on its own.” Form 6 continues to be the prescribed application for citizens who have newly turned 18, acquired Indian citizenship or are deleted voters seeking fresh enrolment.

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FAQs

Q1: What is the new declaration in the Election Commission’s online Form 6?

The new declaration asks applicants to state whether they or their parents were included in the last Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Q2: Does the offline Form 6 also include the new SIR declaration?

No, the additional SIR declaration currently appears only in the online Form 6 available through the ECINET portal.