What is Form 6? EC clarifies its use for voters excluded from SIR rolls

The Election Commission said previously enrolled voters whose names are missing from draft SIR rolls can use Form 6 to seek inclusion in the final electoral roll without facing automatic prosecution

The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday clarified that voters who were enrolled earlier but whose names are missing from the draft electoral rolls published during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can submit Form 6 to seek inclusion in the final voters' list.

 

The clarification came after concerns that such voters could face prosecution for making a false declaration, as Form 6 requires applicants to state that they are seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time.

 

But what is Form 6 and who can use it?

 

What is Form 6?

 

Form 6 is the prescribed application form for an Indian citizen seeking inclusion in the electoral roll as a new voter.

 

 

Under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, an Indian citizen who has attained, or will attain, the age of 18 on one of the four qualifying dates in a year -- January 1, April 1, July 1 or October 1 -- can apply through Form 6.

 

The applicant must ordinarily reside in the constituency where they are seeking enrolment and must not be disqualified from voting under the law.

 

The form requires details such as the applicant's name, date of birth and residential address, along with supporting documents for age and residence. It also carries a declaration that the applicant is seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time and is not already enrolled elsewhere.

 

What has the Election Commission clarified now?

 

In a letter dated November 3 to chief electoral officers of all states and Union Territories, the EC said that voters whose names do not appear in the draft SIR rolls can submit Form 6 to seek fresh inclusion in the final electoral roll, irrespective of whether they were enrolled earlier.

 

The commission said it had received reports that some previously enrolled voters were hesitant to submit the form because of the first-time enrolment declaration. They feared that doing so could amount to making a false declaration and expose them to prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

 

The EC clarified that submitting Form 6 in such circumstances would not, by itself, amount to a false declaration. It also said an Electoral Registration Officer cannot initiate action under Section 31 merely because a previously enrolled voter submits the form during or after the SIR exercise.

 

However, this protection is subject to certain conditions. The applicant must not already be enrolled in another Parliamentary or Assembly constituency, and the declaration must otherwise comply with the law.

 

Citing the Delhi High Court's October 14 judgment in the matter, the EC said the apprehension of prosecution merely because of previous enrolment was misplaced. It has also asked state and Union Territory election officials to publicise the clarification widely in local languages.

 

Why was Form 6 under scrutiny during the SIR?

 

The controversy is also linked to a separate declaration that the EC had added to the online version of Form 6 during the SIR exercise.

 

The declaration required applicants to provide information about whether their names, or those of their parents or grandparents, appeared in the electoral rolls prepared during the previous SIR held in the early 2000s.

 

Applicants had to select one of three options:

• Their own name appeared in the electoral roll during the previous SIR.

• Their parent's or grandparent's name appeared in that electoral roll.

• Neither their name nor their parents' names appeared in that electoral roll.

 

The declaration was inserted between sections J and K of the online Form 6 application on the ECINet portal. Applicants could not proceed with the application without answering these questions, according to a report by The Indian Express.

 

What changes has the EC made to the online Form 6?

 

The EC has also changed the way the SIR-related declaration is presented on its ECINet portal.

 

The declaration, which was earlier included in the online Form 6 application, has now been separated from the statutory form and is available as a separate document.

 

The change follows objections raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, who had questioned the insertion of the additional declaration into Form 6 without a formal amendment to the prescribed form.

 

According to The Indian Express, Joshi had objected to the change in May, while Sandhu had described it as "unauthorised/illegal" in August.

 

In its counter-affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on October 26, the EC said its Electoral Roll Division had decided on October 21 to split the two documents. The commission said the declaration had initially been included in Form 6 to allow applicants to complete the process using a single OTP and e-signature.

 

The EC's decision means applicants will now have to submit Form 6 and the SIR declaration separately on the online platform.

 

What did the Supreme Court say about Form 6?

 

The Supreme Court had questioned the EC's decision to ask previously enrolled voters, whose names were missing from Delhi's draft electoral rolls, to apply afresh through Form 6.

 

During a hearing on October 28, the court asked why voters whose names appeared on the 2026 electoral roll should be treated as new applicants simply because they could not submit their enumeration forms during the SIR exercise.

 

The Bench suggested that voters who had shifted addresses could use Form 8, which is meant for changes in an existing voter registration, rather than being asked to register again through Form 6.

 

The petitioners had told the court that around 4.3 million of the 4.7 million voters excluded from Delhi's draft electoral roll had been classified as permanently shifted or absent.

 

The court also suggested allowing such voters to submit their enumeration forms even after the exercise, wherever applicable.