New Delhi: The Election Commission on Tuesday said that voters whose names appeared on earlier electoral rolls but are missing from the draft Special Intensive
Revision (SIR) list can submit Form 6 to have their names included in the final voter list. The clarification comes amid concerns among voters whose names have been deleted from the draft SIR rolls that submitting Form 6, which carries a declaration stating that the applicant is seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time, could amount to making a false declaration and invite prosecution under the Representation of the People Act. In a letter to all state chief electoral officers, the poll panel stated that it had been brought to its notice that certain people whose names do not figure in the draft electoral rolls published during the ongoing SIR exercise were hesitant to submit Form 6. This was because they were also required to furnish a declaration prescribed in the form, stating that their names were being included in the electoral rolls for the first time. The letter also referred to concerns that such a declaration could render applicants liable for prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
How Can Form 6 Be Used To Re-Register Deleted Voters?
As per the poll panel's latest directions, Form 6 can also be used by voters whose names are missing from the draft electoral rolls. Applicants must provide their personal details, proof of age and ordinary residence, along with declarations confirming their citizenship and stating whether they are already registered as voters elsewhere.
The EC clarified that voters whose names do not figure in the draft SIR rolls can submit Form 6 to seek fresh inclusion in the final electoral roll, even if they were registered previously.
The poll authority said that submitting Form 6 in cases where a voter's name was deleted from the draft SIR roll would not, by itself, constitute a false declaration.
Modification In Form 6 After SIR Row:
Days after The Indian Express reported that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar had taken unilateral decisions on the SIR, ignoring suggestions from fellow Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, the EC removed the additional SIR declaration from the statutory voter enrolment form on its ECINET portal in states where the exercise had been completed.
What Is Form 6?
Form 6 serves as an important tool for first-time voters looking to get their names added to the electoral roll. The form is used when a person becomes eligible to vote for the first time, shifts to another constituency or seeks to update information on their existing voter ID card.
Any Indian citizen who is at least 18 years old on the qualifying date (January 1 of the year of the electoral roll revision) and ordinarily resides in the constituency concerned can use Form 6 to initiate the registration process.
