EC Unanimously Approved SIR Orders with Citizenship Declaration Forms
· India · Times of India, India Today
The Election Commission troika unanimously approved Special Intensive Revision (SIR) orders for Phase 1 in Bihar, Phase 2 in a dozen states/UTs, and Phase 3 in 19 states/UTs, all requiring Forms 6 and 8 with a mandatory citizenship declaration. The SIR orders were issued on June 24, 2025 (Bihar), October 27, 2025 (Phase 2), and May 14, 2026 (Phase 3). EC officials clarified that the citizenship declaration form was introduced to ease voter enrollment by eliminating the need for additional documents. The approval came amid criticism from Rahul Gandhi over alleged 'vote chori' and SIR anomalies, while commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi were praised for highlighting procedural pitfalls. EC sources denied claims that ECINET was locking out field officers, stating it is a decentralised platform compliant with the RP Acts of 1950 and 1951.
Why it matters
Voters in Bihar and across 31 states/UTs will now need to submit a citizenship declaration with their voter registration or transfer applications, potentially streamlining the enrollment process. The decision affects electoral roll management nationwide and responds to political scrutiny over the integrity of the SIR exercise.
Read the original report — Times of India
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