No more extra declaration form for new voters after SIR

New Delhi: Getting onto the electoral rolls just got easier for new voters in States where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has already been completed. The Election Commission has dropped the additional declaration form that applicants had to submit along with Form 6.

Till now, in States such as Kerala where the SIR exercise was over, new voters still had to follow the additional requirements of the process, as they were required to submit the declaration form along with Form 6. As recently as Saturday, applicants using the voters’ portal could not proceed with their Form 6 application without submitting the declaration.

The EC has now clarified that applicants in States where the SIR process is not underway need to submit only Form 6. The move is expected to provide relief to a large number of prospective voters.

Declaration form
The declaration form is largely a replica of the SIR enumeration form. While the enumeration form is meant for existing voters, the declaration form was introduced for those seeking fresh enrolment.

Before the SIR exercise, a person seeking to become a voter only had to submit Form 6. Once the exercise began, however, new applicants were required to submit the declaration form along with Form 6. Under this procedure, an applicant had to establish either that they were included in the previous SIR electoral roll or that one of their parents was listed in it. Those unable to establish either had to produce other supporting documents.

The declaration form was also required when an existing voter sought to shift their registration from one State to another through Form 8.

Why the form drew flak
The Commission had added the declaration form to the Form 6 registration process without amending the relevant rules.

On May 16, Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi recorded a dissent, arguing that such an addition could not be made without amending the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. On August 13, another Election Commissioner, S S Sandhu, wrote to the Commission opposing the move and described it as an unauthorised and unlawful change.

What this means for new voters
Once the SIR is completed in a State, a person seeking fresh enrolment or shifting their registration to another State will need to submit only Form 6. Applicants will no longer have to search the 2002 or 2003 SIR electoral rolls to establish that they or their parents were included in them.

The declaration form, however, will continue to be required during the claims and objections period as part of the SIR exercise.

In States where the SIR has not been undertaken, including Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the declaration form will not be required.

States and UTs where SIR has been completed:
Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

States and UTs where SIR is underway:
Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Nagaland, Tripura, Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Chandigarh and Delhi.

SIR has not yet begun in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Assam underwent a Special Revision.