NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has made it mandatory for new applicants seeking inclusion in electoral rolls to furnish details related to their parents’ Special Intensive Revision (SIR), extending a requirement that was earlier applicable to existing voters not covered under previous revisions, officials said.According to EC officials, new voters applying for inclusion in the electoral rolls through Form 6 will now have to submit declarations containing their parents’ SIR details.The declaration requirement was introduced during the Special Intensive Revision exercise carried out in Bihar in June last year, when new applicants were asked to furnish the information along with Form 6.“Daily SIR bulletins of Bihar showed the form filled along with declarations,” an EC functionary said.The official clarified that the declaration was introduced through administrative instructions and that Form 6 itself has not been amended.“It helps in mapping electors and reduces the documents new voters need to submit along with the application,” the official added.Officials further said that applicants filling Form 6 online will not be able to proceed unless they complete the declaration.Meanwhile, the Election Commission has defended the ongoing Special Intensive Revision exercise, rejecting concerns raised by United Nations rapporteurs and maintaining that the process is transparent, constitutional and has been endorsed by the Supreme Court.According to EC officials, the exercise is aimed at ensuring that all eligible Indian citizens are included in the electoral rolls while removing duplicate, deceased, shifted, absent and foreign voters.Responding to allegations of large-scale deletion of minority voters, including in West Bengal’s Nandigram, the poll panel said electors had sufficient opportunities to challenge exclusions and denied any bias in the process.The clarification comes after UN Special Rapporteurs, in a recent communication to the government, raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision exercise and alleged a lack of transparency in the process.(With PTI inputs)
