EC Allows Missing Voters to Reapply Through Form 6

The Election Commission of India said voters whose names are missing from draft rolls prepared under the Special Intensive Revision may apply through Form 6 for inclusion in the final electoral roll, even if they were enrolled previously. The Commission said prior enrolment alone is not grounds for treating the application as false or initiating prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. In a communication to chief electoral officers of states and Union Territories, the Commission addressed concerns that some voters were hesitant to apply because Form 6 requires applicants to declare that they are seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time. Those voters feared that a new application, despite their earlier registration, could amount to a false declaration and expose them to legal action. The Commission said anyone whose name does not appear in the draft roll must seek inclusion afresh, through the prescribed procedure, whether during the SIR or afterward. It said submitting Form 6 in those circumstances is not, by itself, a false declaration merely because the applicant had appeared on an earlier roll. The protection is...