Election Commission's New Voter Inclusion Rules: What You Need to Know!

New Guidelines for Voter Registration

New Delhi: According to officials from the Election Commission (EC), both current voters who were not included in the previous Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and new applicants must provide their parents' SIR details to stay on the electoral rolls.

The EC has mandated that new voters must attach their parents' SIR information when completing Form 6 for voter registration.

This requirement was introduced in the Bihar SIR launched in June of the previous year, where new voters were required to submit this declaration alongside Form 6.

An EC representative noted, "Daily SIR bulletins from Bihar indicated that forms were submitted with the necessary declarations."

The representative emphasized that while the declaration was added through new instructions, Form 6 itself has not undergone any changes.

"This process aids in identifying electors and minimizes the documentation required from new applicants," the official explained.

For those filling out Form 6 online, the process cannot advance until the declaration is completed.

In a separate matter, the Election Commission has defended the SIR process against criticisms from UN rapporteurs, asserting that the procedure is transparent, constitutional, and has the backing of the Supreme Court.

Officials stated that the SIR's objective is to ensure all eligible Indian citizens are included while eliminating duplicate, deceased, relocated, absent, and foreign voters from the rolls.

In response to claims of significant deletions of minority voters, particularly in Nandigram, West Bengal, EC officials assured that voters have ample opportunities to contest exclusions and denied any allegations of bias.

Recently, UN Special Rapporteurs expressed concerns regarding the SIR, claiming that the process lacks transparency.