Election Commission says deleted voters can re-enroll using Form 6
The Election Commission of India on Tuesday said that voters whose names were deleted during Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can use Form 6 for inclusion in electoral rolls.
The poll body also assured that no action would be taken against people using Form 6 for re-inclusion in rolls.
The Election Commission's clarification comes as Form 6 requires applicants to declare that they are seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time.
The required declaration in Form 6 had become a bone of contention after a section argued that making deleted voters submit this for re-inclusion was like forcing them to give a false declaration.
The SIR, which has resulted in the deletion of millions of voters across India, has spurred a massive controversy with the opposition alleging vote theft by the ruling Narendra Modi-led government.
The Congress Party was quick to call the latest EC communication "another deceptive word game to cover up a flawed process asking voters to make a false declaration."
No amount of damage control can fix this "flawed process," and SIR needs to be stopped, Congress Party leader Jairam Ramesh said, adding, "each damage control attempt shows how badly designed the SIR process is."
