India EC adds SIR linkage requirement to online voter forms

The Election Commission of India has mandated that new applicants seeking voter registration must provide details linking them or their parents to previous electoral rolls, a requirement that currently applies only to online submissions and has drawn scrutiny from United Nations officials. The new declaration, which asks whether the applicant or their parents or grandparents were listed in the most recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, has been integrated into the online Form 6 portal, blocking submission until it is completed.

Officials stated the requirement, introduced via internal instructions rather than a formal amendment to the statutory Form 6, aims to map electors and reduce the number of supporting documents needed. They cited its use in the Bihar SIR exercise launched in June 2025. An Election Commission functionary said daily bulletins from that process showed the declaration being filed alongside the form. The online portal presents applicants with three options: to state they were listed in a previous SIR roll, that a parent or grandparent was listed, or that neither they nor their relatives were listed. Those selecting the first two options must...