The Election Commission of India’s online Form 6 for new voter registration has come under scrutiny after an additional declaration relating to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls was introduced on the online application process.
Form 6 is the prescribed application used by eligible citizens to seek inclusion of their names in the electoral roll. The statutory Form 6 is prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The current statutory form available through the Legislative Department contains fields covering the applicant’s name, details of a relative, contact information, Aadhaar details, gender, date of birth, age proof and ordinary residence, among other information. The additional SIR related declaration reported on the online portal is not part of this statutory paper form.
According to reports, the Election Commission’s ECINET online system introduced a separate declaration between existing sections of Form 6. Applicants are asked whether their own name or the name of a parent or grandparent appeared in the electoral roll prepared during the previous Special Intensive Revision. Depending on the response, applicants may be asked to provide information such as the Assembly constituency, polling booth and serial number associated with the earlier electoral roll.
The requirement has attracted attention because the online process reportedly does not allow an applicant to proceed with the submission until the additional declaration has been completed, even though the newly inserted section was not initially marked as a separate mandatory field. The Indian Express reported that the downloadable physical version of Form 6 did not contain the same declaration.
The central legal question concerns the authority to alter a form prescribed under election rules. Section 28 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 provides that the Central Government may, after consulting the Election Commission, make rules by notification in the Official Gazette for carrying out the purposes of the Act. The provision also covers matters concerning electoral rolls and procedures relating to their revision and inclusion of names. Rules made under the Act are required to be laid before Parliament.
The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 specifically prescribe Form 6 for applications for inclusion of names in electoral rolls. Rule 13 and Rule 26 are cited on the statutory form as the provisions under which the form is prescribed. The official version published by the Legislative Department therefore provides an important reference point when examining whether an additional requirement in an online version represents merely a technical implementation of an existing requirement or constitutes a substantive alteration to the prescribed form.
The Indian Express reported in September 2026 that internal records showed two of the three Election Commissioners had raised objections in May to introducing the additional declaration without an amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules. The report said the concerns related to whether the change could be made without following the rule amendment process.
This has led to a broader debate over the distinction between administering an existing statutory form electronically and changing the information that an applicant is required to provide. The Election Commission operates several digital voter services, and its official voter services platform provides online registration as well as access to downloadable physical forms. The Commission’s website currently lists both online registration services and options to download physical forms.
The issue is particularly significant in the context of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercise. SIR involves detailed verification of electoral rolls and has resulted in additional attention to the relationship between existing voters, newly registered voters and earlier electoral rolls. The Commission has used SIR related information in its electoral roll verification processes, while the new online Form 6 declaration brings some of that information into the process for new applicants.
The Election Commission has defended the broader SIR exercise and maintained that electoral roll revision is being conducted within the constitutional and legal framework. Reports have also noted that the Commission has sought information concerning previous SIR electoral rolls as part of its verification process.
The dispute over Form 6 therefore does not by itself establish that the online requirement is illegal. The key question is whether the additional declaration is legally authorised under the existing rules or whether introducing it as a condition of online submission requires a formal amendment to the prescribed Form 6 and the relevant rules.
The distinction is important because Form 6 is not simply an informal online questionnaire. It is a statutory application connected with the inclusion of eligible citizens in electoral rolls. Any substantial change to the information required from applicants can therefore raise questions about the legal basis, transparency and consistency of the procedure.
For applicants, the practical difference between the online and paper versions is also significant. A person applying online may encounter questions relating to an earlier SIR that are absent from the downloadable statutory form. This creates a need for clarity regarding whether the information is being collected as part of the statutory application itself, as an administrative verification step, or as an additional declaration created for the digital process.
As of September 2026, the reported disagreement concerns the procedure used to introduce the additional online declaration, while the broader legal question remains subject to scrutiny. The issue is therefore best understood as a dispute over the authority and process behind the change rather than as a final judicial determination that the Election Commission acted unlawfully.
The development also highlights the importance of ensuring that online electoral services correspond clearly with the forms and procedures prescribed under election law. Clear explanations from the authorities could help applicants understand why the additional SIR information is being requested, whether it is mandatory in every circumstance and how the information will be used during voter registration and electoral roll revision.