Delhi protest: Is your name on the voter list? Your Guide to Controversial SIR Form 6 Form 7 Behind CJP Jantar Mantar 2.0 | Today’s news
What led to the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) Jantar Mantar 2.0 protest? The key issues are alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and concerns about the conduct of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar within the Election Commission.
Why are protesters demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation? Why is SIR controversial? Why are Forms 6 and 7 under review? Here’s everything you need to know about what led to the protest in Delhi on October 10.
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What is SIR?
Special Intensive Review (SIR) of Electoral Rolls is conducted in several phases across the country to ensure that Electoral Rolls/Electoral Rolls are accurate, up-to-date and free of ineligible or duplicate entries and to ensure that no eligible voter is left out.
Quick answers to key questions
•5 QUESTIONS
SIR is an exercise aimed at refining and updating voter lists, removing ineligible or duplicate entries and ensuring the inclusion of eligible voters. Smears are done after verification by booth level officers.
Critics say eligible voters may have been left out and have raised concerns about voter duplication and the timing of the review before the election. They also have alleged targeted deletion, which the BJP has denied.
Visit electoralsearch.eci.gov.in or voters.eci.gov.in and search using your EPIC number, personal details or registered mobile number. If your name appears, you are listed as eligible to vote.
Submit Form 6 online through the Citizen Service Portal or Voter Helpline app, or download and submit it through a polling center or your booth-level clerk. The article says to include the required details and a self-attested copy of the date of birth document.
Form 7 allows a registered voter to challenge a proposed inclusion in the electoral roll or request the deletion of an existing entry. An individual can submit up to 10 applications during the claims and objections period, or up to five applications per month during continuous updating.
During the exercise, the Election Commission collects and publishes consolidated data on the enumeration, additions, deletions and corrections on its official website and according to the revision procedure by the relevant election officials of the concerned states/UTs.
As per the ECI press release, deletions during SIR are done only after proper verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) through door-to-door enumeration and generally fall under the following categories: (i) death of a voter; ii) permanent change of residence; (iii) duplicate records of the same voter in more than one location; and (iv) voters found untraceable despite repeated visits.
Why is SIR controversial?
While the EC said it conducted the SIR to “cleanse” the electoral roll, critics of the SIR said many eligible voters were struck off the electoral roll. The opposition also drew attention to the issue of voter duplication.
They also objected to the timing of the SIR, which was announced just before the elections. They also alleged “targeted deletion” to give the BJP an edge in the polls.
Political analyst and author Rasheed Kidwai told Mint that in a democracy, the right to vote is very sacred. “If people are not allowed to vote even though they are (legal) voters, then that is a stain on democracy and that is where SIR is problematic.”
Several reports claim that nearly 13.3 million names have so far been deleted from electoral rolls across the country in the SIR process. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denied the claim in a Facebook post.
Of the nearly 13.3 million names, about 9.5 million (over 71%) were marked in the ‘absent, shifted and others’ category, according to Election Commission (EC) data, as reported by The Hindu. Of the remaining, about 2.7 million (just over 20%) were deleted due to death. About 1.01 million (7.6%) were identified as multiple entry cases.
Delhi Protest: Why Protesters Demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation?
The call for a massive protest came after an Indian Express report claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections on the functioning of the Election Commission at least 14 times in 10 months.
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“Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have raised at least 14 objections in the last 10 months against decisions taken and orders issued without their knowledge,” an Indian Express investigation revealed.
These were issues related to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls such as changes to Form 6 (used by new voters), review of electoral roll database, deletion and recall of voters in West Bengal and dealing with eligible voters in Goa.
The Election Commission said the reported objections were part of the normal consultative process and claimed that all key decisions, including those related to the SIR, were taken unanimously by the entire Commission.
However, opposition parties cited the report that questioned the functioning of the Election Commission and demanded the removal and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Form 6 controversy
Form 6, by which new voters are registered in the electoral roll, was changed in July this year. A separate declaration has been added to the physical form regarding the mapping of self or parent with the electoral rolls of the previous SIR period.
The online form started asking applicants if they or their parents were on the electoral roll after the last SIR. It would not allow them to submit without an answer.
According to an Indian Express report in August, Election Commissioner Sandhu called the change “unauthorised/illegal”. Form 6 is annexed to the Electoral Registration Rules 1960 and only the Center has the power to amend the rules and therefore Form 6.
Election Commission officials later issued a clarification, claiming that Form 6 itself was never amended and that the declaration was merely added to it, according to The Hindu. EC officials reportedly said the power to add the declaration form was upheld by the Supreme Court on 27 May 2026.
Now the declaration form attached to Form 6 will be used only during the SIR phase. For non-SIR periods, the forms applicable under the Electoral Registration Rules, 1960 shall be used.
Form 7 “abuse”
Form 7 allows a registered voter to challenge someone’s proposed inclusion on the electoral roll or request that an existing record be deleted.
The Election Commission on Friday directed Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in all states and Union Territories to limit the number of Form 7 applications an individual can file to curb misuse of the form.
According to reports, the EC’s decision came after repeated instances of individual voters filing Form 7 objections en masse on “unfounded grounds”.
Read also | ECI Limits Individual Form 7 Claims – What Happened?
According to the poll commission, this practice caused inconvenience to the genuine voters whose names were challenged and created unnecessary administrative burden on the election staff at the field level.
How to check online if your name has been deleted?
Visit to see if you are registered to vote. If your name appears on the list, you are eligible to vote, otherwise you must register to vote.
Step 1: Go to voters.eci.gov.in or electoralsearch.eci.gov.in.
Step 2: Search Options: Select “Search Electoral Roll” and search for your details in one of three ways:
• By EPIC Number: Enter your voter ID / EPIC card number and select your state.
• By Details: Enter your name, relative’s name, age, gender and constituency.
• Mobile: Use your registered mobile number and verify with OTP
How do I get my name back on the electoral roll?
Fill in Form 6 online: A step-by-step guide
You can submit Form 6 through the Citizen Service Portal website or the Voter Helpline app.
Step 1: Go to Citizen Service Portal (www.nvsp.in) or install Voter Helpline App/ECINET
Voter from abroad must fill Form 6A (link https://voters.eci.gov.in/)
Step 2: Click on “New Voter Registration”
Step 3: Complete Form 6; add the required details, submit a self-attested copy of the “Date of Birth Certificate”. click ‘next’
Fill Form 6 Offline: Step by Step Guide
You can download form 6 from here and submit it through polling center or by contacting your area booth level officer (BLO). A complete list of BLOs can be found at www.ceodelhi.gov.in
Form 6 is also available free of charge from the offices of Electoral Registration Officers / Assistant Electoral Registration Officers and Booth Level Clerks.
The application along with copies of relevant documents can be submitted in person to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer / Assistant Electoral Registration Officer or sent by post addressed to him or handed over to the booth level clerk at your polling station.
Call 1950 for any help. For more information, read the voter brochure at https://ecisveep.nic.in.
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