No requirement for Declaration Form in states where SIR completed: ECI

For all States/UTs where Special Intensive Revision has been completed and where it is yet to start, there shall be no requirement for the Declaration Form, an ECI official said on Wednesday.

For all States/UTs where Special Intensive Revision has been completed and where it is yet to start, there shall be no requirement for the Declaration Form, an ECI official said on Wednesday. As per poll body official, there has been no change in Form 6, whether during SIR or in the non-SIR period. "The Declaration Form was an additional document which was asked for in States/UTs, wherever SIR was conducted as per SIR order dated 24 June 2025 and subsequent SIR orders. All these were as per the unanimous decision of the Commission," official stated.

As per the press note of the Commission released on 26th September 2026, for all States/UTs where SIR has been completed and where it is yet to start, there shall be no requirement for the Declaration Form, they said. The declaration form asks new applicants to furnish details linking themselves or their parents or grandparents to electoral rolls prepared during an earlier intensive revision.

ECI, in its press note dated September 26, had stated that the declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Supreme Court. SIR has already been completed in 20 States/UTs, including Bihar and West Bengal.

CEC Gyanesh Kumar is facing flak from the opposition parties following a report by The Indian Express, which said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over a period of 10 months regarding decisions and procedures related to the SIR exercise and other electoral matters. However, in its press note issued after the meeting, the ECI stated that the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in 12 States and Union Territories was issued on October 27, 2025, while the schedule for 19 States and UTs was issued on May 14, 2026, with the unanimous approval of the Commission.

Today, the INDIA bloc meeting got underway in the national capital, where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called for the rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, greater transparency in electoral rolls and accountability of the Election Commission, asserting that “the ballot belongs to the people.” Addressing the INDIA bloc, Kharge said India’s democratic system was built on the principle of “one person, one vote, one value” and alleged that the principle was facing a serious threat. “Today, that principle is facing a serious threat. Across the country, citizens and political parties are raising grave concerns about functioning of the Election Commission,” Kharge said. (ANI)