Now Reading: EC withdraws SIR declaration from Form 6 in completed states
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EC withdraws SIR declaration from Form 6 in completed states
The Story in Brief
The Election Commission has withdrawn the additional SIR-related declaration from the online voter enrolment Form 6 in states where the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has been completed, The Assam Tribune reports on 30 September. The declaration remains on the ECINET portal in states where the SIR is still underway. The move follows a 26 September full Commission meeting.
The declaration required new applicants to link themselves or their parents to earlier electoral rolls. The issue became controversial after Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi objected to the change, calling it unauthorised. The EC has maintained the declaration was an SIR-specific requirement upheld by the Supreme Court.
In Karnataka, The Federal reports a discrepancy of nearly 6,000 Form-7 applications between the draft roll and CEO data, with officials insisting all 61,130 applications were self-filed despite local records showing third-party filings. The News Minute reports 525 additional objections filed in Bhalki on 24 September, mostly targeting Muslim voters.
Update, 1 October 2026: The Assam Tribune reports the EC has withdrawn the SIR declaration from Form 6 in completed states. The Federal reports a discrepancy of nearly 6,000 Form-7 applications in Karnataka between the draft roll and CEO data, and that officials maintain all 61,130 applications were self-filed, contradicting local records of third-party filings.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Assam Tribune and Republic World report the EC's decision to withdraw the SIR declaration as a procedural correction after internal dissent, while Siasat and Telangana Today focus on AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's charge that the SIR is a backdoor NRC. The Hindu and The News Minute emphasise the human cost in Telangana and Karnataka with case studies of affected voters. The Federal highlights the discrepancy in Form-7 figures and community targeting allegations. Livemint and Business Today report the EC's new home-visit relief measures neutrally. The balanced reading is that the EC has made some administrative concessions but the core disputes over the declaration, pending applications, and alleged targeting remain unresolved. The full Commission's next steps are expected as the disposal deadline in Delhi is 30 November.
Coverage: 14 sources, 1 pro-government, 6 government-critical, 7 neutral
Sources (14): thenewsminute.com (government critical), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), thehindu.com (government critical), thehindu.com (2) (government critical), livemint.com (neutral report), businesstoday.in (neutral report), siasat.com (government critical), siasat.com (2) (neutral report), telanganatoday.com (government critical), deccanherald.com (neutral report), republicworld.com (pro government), thehindu.com (3) (neutral report), thefederal.com (government critical), assamtribune.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 14 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
