NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed all new applicants seeking enrolment in the electoral rolls to furnish their parents' Special Intensive Revision (SIR) details along with Form 6, officials said.
The declaration, introduced during the Bihar SIR exercise launched in June last year, has been made mandatory through ECI instructions without formally amending Form 6, which is required for enrolment as a new voter.
Officials said every applicant filing Form 6 is required to submit the declaration, a practice reflected in the daily SIR bulletins issued during the Bihar revision exercise. Applicants filing Form 6 online cannot complete the registration process without filling in the declaration.
According to EC officials, the requirement helps map new electors to existing records, reducing the number of supporting documents applicants need to submit during enrolment.
Meanwhile, the poll panel strongly defended the SIR process, rejecting concerns raised by United Nations Special Rapporteurs over its transparency and fairness.
Officials maintained that the exercise is constitutional, transparent and has received the backing of the Supreme Court.
The Commission said the objective of the SIR is to ensure that all eligible Indian citizens are included in the electoral rolls while removing duplicate, deceased, shifted, absent and foreign electors to improve the accuracy of voter lists.
Responding to allegations of large-scale deletion of minority voters, including claims relating to Nandigram in West Bengal, EC officials denied any bias and said the revision process provides adequate opportunities for affected voters to challenge exclusions and seek corrections.
The ECI's response comes after UN Special Rapporteurs, in a recent communication to the Union government, expressed concerns that the SIR process lacked sufficient transparency and could potentially affect the voting rights of vulnerable communities.
However, the Commission reiterated that the revision is being conducted in accordance with established legal provisions and due process.
