India
oi-Swastika Sruti
In the latest development, the Election Commission of India introduces online version of Form 6. This form is the application the enroll the new voters to register themselves in the electoral roll.
The Election Commission of India’s updated online Form 6 requires new voter applicants to declare if their or their parents’ names were listed in past electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, a change implemented after widespread name removals.
But the twist is that the latest form asks the applicants to provide details of their parents if they names are in the electoral rolls from the last SIR (Special Intensive Revision).
What Is the New Declaration?
The applicants who are applying for passport through EC’s ECINET portal will have another declaration portion inserted between parts J and K in online Form 6.
Three options are provided before the applicants from which they should select any one of them:
- Either their name was available in the electoral roll during the last special intensive revision.
- Or the name of their parents or grandparent was there in the electoral roll during the last SIR.
- Or neither their name nor the name of their parents was present in the electoral roll during the last SIR.
In case either of the first two options is selected, then the applicants have to give more information regarding assembly constituency and polling booth numbers where the name was present in the earlier electoral roll.
But those applicants who do not have these details can select the third category. Still, there is no information provided by the portal that whether this selection would affect the entire process or not.
Online Form Differs From Physical Copy
One must know that the online form differs from the physical copy, hence the new form is downloadable and can be filled. Although the declaration is not officially marked as mandatory, applicants using the online portal cannot proceed with the registration unless they complete it.
This difference between the online and physical forms has raised questions about the implementation of the new requirement.
Why the Change Matters
This comes amid the Election Commission has carried out the SIR exercise across several states and UTs. The official figures state that 5.58 crore names have been removed from the 10 states and three UTs in the SIR exercise.
In the latest revision in West Bengal, over 27 lakh voters were removed from the electoral rolls. Many of those affected were unable to vote while their appeals remain pending before the concerned tribunals.
The latest addition to Form 6 has therefore sparked discussions about how new voter registrations may be processed, particularly for applicants whose parents’ names do not appear in earlier electoral rolls.
What Is Form 6?
The Application Form No. 6 is the prescribed application form that is to be used by:
Indian citizens who have attained the age of 18 years and are becoming first-time voters.
Indian citizens who have become Indian citizens very recently.
Existing voters whose names have been removed from the electoral roll and wish to re-register.
As per the current regulations, while filling out the Application Form No. 6, it is mandatory for applicants to furnish the names and EPIC numbers (wherever applicable) of all other individuals residing within the same premises, being members of the same family.
In the latest online declaration, information relating to past electoral rolls has also been sought, even without making any formal amendments to the statutory form.
