Full Breakdown
Election Commission Drops SIR Declaration from Form 6 in Non-SIR States
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
- On September 26 2026 the Election Commission of India (ECI) removed the additional Special Intensive Revision (SIR) declaration from the online voter-enrolment Form 6 in states and Union Territories where the SIR exercise has been completed. Applicants in those jurisdictions now fill only the statutory Form 6 prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The declaration remains in the ECINET portal for the 13 states where SIR is still underway.
Background & Context
- The SIR is a state-wide intensive revision of electoral rolls that began with Bihar on June 24 2025 and has been extended to other states. During SIR, the ECI introduced an extra declaration linking new applicants to earlier SIR rolls. Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi objected, arguing that Form 6 could not be altered without amending the Rules. Their objections were recorded at least 14 times over ten months.
Data & Statistics
- SIR has been completed in 20 states and Union Territories.
- The additional declaration is still required in 13 states where SIR is ongoing.
- In Goa, 81 of 97 voters left out of the draft roll have already submitted Form 6 after house-to-house visits by Booth Level Officers.
Official Statements & Responses
- An EC official told NDTV that Form 6 itself was never amended; the extra declaration was an SIR-specific requirement now withdrawn for non-SIR states.
- The Commission announced procedural reforms: agendas will be circulated before meetings, minutes will be issued, and a committee headed by a senior Deputy Election Commissioner with an independent IIT/IIIT expert will review the ECINET system for statutory compliance.
Criticism & Opposition
- Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu called the online addition “unauthorised and illegal” on August 13 and demanded its removal.
- Dr. Vivek Joshi maintained that any modification to Form 6 required a formal amendment to the Rules, which the ECI lacked.
- CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Kumar on September 27 2026, alleging “unlawful modification” of the online Form 6 process and urging disclosure of the discussion that authorised the change.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Several sources cite the Supreme Court’s May 27 2026 judgment as having “upheld” the SIR-related declaration, while The Wire notes the judgment examined the documentation framework but did not expressly endorse the specific July-2025 online change. The EC’s press note does not differentiate between the court’s general authority to devise SIR documentation and the particular declaration, leaving its legal status ambiguous.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I write to express serious concern regarding the unlawful modification of the online Form 6 process by way of an additional declaration accompanying Form 6, and its compulsory operation for citizens seeking inclusion in the electoral roll,” — John Brittas
What’s Next
- The EC-appointed review committee will submit its report on ECINET compliance in the coming weeks.
- Deadline extensions for filing SIR-related claims remain in place until October 30 2026 for Delhi and October 12 2026 for Maharashtra, with disposal deadlines of November 30 2026 and November 10 2026 respectively.