Election Commission changes Form 6 for new voters, inserts section asking them about parents in SIR
The Election Commission of India updated the online version of Form 6 — the form used to register new voters — to add a declaration about whether the applicant or their parents/grandparents were listed in the electoral roll during the last Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
Applicants must choose among three options: their own name was in the roll during the last SIR, a parent's or grandparent's name was in the roll during the last SIR, or neither was present; the first two options require further details such as the assembly constituency and polling booth number of that earlier entry
The declaration currently applies to the online portal version of Form 6; the downloadable statutory paper form remains unchanged, and while the field is not formally marked mandatory, the online registration process cannot be completed without filling it
Form 6 is used by first-time voters turning 18, recently naturalised citizens, and previously de-listed voters seeking re-registration
Article 326 — Universal Adult Suffrage and Voter Eligibility
Article 326 of the Constitution establishes elections to the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies on the basis of universal adult suffrage. Any citizen who is at least 18 years old on the qualifying date is entitled to be registered as a voter, unless disqualified on grounds such as non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime, or corrupt/illegal electoral practice specified by law.
Key Details
- Article 326 fixes the constitutional floor for enrolment eligibility; it does not itself prescribe registration procedure — that is delegated to ordinary legislation
- The Representation of the People Act, 1950 operationalises this: Section 21 provides for preparation and periodic revision of electoral rolls, and empowers the Election Commission to direct a special revision "for reasons to be recorded in writing"
- Form 6, prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, is the statutory instrument through which new/eligible citizens apply for enrolment
Any additional field on Form 6 — such as the new parental-SIR declaration — operates within this Article 326/Section 21 framework and must be assessed against whether it adds a fresh eligibility criterion or merely gathers procedural/verification information.
Article 324 and the Election Commission's Power over Electoral Rolls
Article 324 vests the "superintendence, direction and control" of the preparation of electoral rolls and conduct of elections in the Election Commission of India. The Supreme Court, in Mohinder Singh Gill v. Chief Election Commissioner (1978), held that this power is plenary in areas not covered by specific legislation, allowing the ECI to take all necessary action to ensure free and fair elections and accurate rolls.
Key Details
- Composition: Chief Election Commissioner plus other Election Commissioners as the President may fix, appointed under law made by Parliament
- CEC removal is protected — only in the manner and on the grounds applicable to a Supreme Court judge, insulating the office from executive pressure
- The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise — house-to-house enumeration and verification to remove deceased, duplicate, shifted, or non-citizen entries while adding eligible new voters — is conducted under this constitutional and statutory mandate
The Form 6 declaration is administratively linked to the SIR exercise's verification trail, letting the ECI cross-check a new applicant's family enrolment history against the SIR roll rather than treating each registration as an isolated event.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) — Judicial Scrutiny
SIR is a more exhaustive roll-revision exercise than the routine "summary revision," involving door-to-door verification of existing entries and collection of fresh documentation. Its legality was challenged before the Supreme Court in Association for Democratic Reforms v. Election Commission of India (W.P. (C) 640/2025), concerning the Bihar SIR ahead of the state's 2025 assembly election.
Key Details
- The Supreme Court, on 27 May 2026, upheld the ECI's power to conduct SIR, holding it consistent with the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and within the Commission's constitutional mandate to ensure free and fair elections
- The Court also clarified that SIR was not the country's first roll-revision exercise of its kind, situating it within the ECI's established statutory toolkit rather than as a novel or extra-legal procedure
- Petitioners in such matters have generally raised due-process concerns — adequacy of notice, documentary burden on citizens, and risk of wrongful exclusion — issues the Court weighed against the Commission's mandate to maintain accurate rolls
The new Form 6 field builds directly on the SIR framework upheld by the Court, extending the same verification logic to the enrolment of new voters going forward.
- Form 6: statutory form under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, for new/first-time voter registration
- Article 326: sets 18 years as the minimum voting age and the constitutional basis for universal adult suffrage
- Representation of the People Act, 1950, Section 21: governs preparation and revision (including special revision) of electoral rolls
- Mohinder Singh Gill v. CEC (1978): established the plenary, residuary nature of ECI's Article 324 powers
- Association for Democratic Reforms v. ECI (W.P. (C) 640/2025): Supreme Court upheld ECI's power to conduct SIR on 27 May 2026
- New Form 6 field: applicant/parent/grandparent presence in the electoral roll during the last SIR, with constituency and polling-booth detail if applicable