Story perspectives

Election Commission Drops SIR Declaration From Form 6

By Drooid · Sep 30, 2026, 10:15 AM UTC · How we work

Left

Commissioners call removal illegal

On September 30, 2026, India’s Election Commission removed the Intensive Revision declaration from the Form 6 voter-enrolment application in states where SIR had been completed.
The removal was framed as a response to concerns that procedural changes could disenfranchise voters, first-time and displaced citizens.
Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi called the declaration illegal and unauthorised.
A senior deputy commissioner and an IIT/IIIT expert will audit ECINET for legal compliance.

Right

First time voter hardship

On September 30 2026, India’s Election Commission removed the extra SIR declaration from the online Form 6 voter-enrolment in states where SIR was completed.
The commission framed the removal as a response to objections that the declaration was unlawful and overly burdensome.
During SIR, applicants had to list parents’ or grandparents’ constituency, booth and serial numbers.
CPI(M) MP John Brittas wrote to Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing hardship for first-time voters.

Center

Supreme Court backing

On September 30, 2026, India’s Election Commission removed the SIR declaration from Form 6 voter-enrolment in states where SIR was completed.
Officials said the SIR declaration was a Supreme Court-upheld requirement, not a permanent Form 6 change.
Gyanesh Kumar and Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi approved the removal at a September 26 meeting.
The commission announced reforms: advance agenda circulation, minutes issuance, and a committee to review ECINET IT modules.

Blindspot

CPI(M) MP John Brittas wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar demanding the SIR declaration’s removal, citing hardship for first-time and displaced voters.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Right-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Left-leaning and Center-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The Election Commission trialed EVMs in Kerala’s Paravur by-election in May 1982, but the Supreme Court struck it down, prompting a 1989 amendment of the Representation of the People Act to allow them. Use began with the 2004 Lok Sabha election, where over 400 million voters cast ballots on EVMs, slashing counting time. Form 6 changes keep the Commission’s push to ease registration for displaced voters.

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Commissioners call removal illegal

On September 30, 2026, India’s Election Commission removed the Intensive Revision declaration from the Form 6 voter-enrolment application in states where SIR had been completed.
The removal was framed as a response to concerns that procedural changes could disenfranchise voters, first-time and displaced citizens.
Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi called the declaration illegal and unauthorised.
A senior deputy commissioner and an IIT/IIIT expert will audit ECINET for legal compliance.

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