Voters missing from draft roll can reapply with Form 6, no action to follow, says Election Commission

A draft voter list was published during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Citizens who were on that list but are no longer on the voter list can apply again by filling Form 6. The Election Commission of India has clarified that if a voter applies through Form 6 despite having been on the list earlier, it will not be treated as a false declaration.

The Commission also said no legal action will be taken against such voters. Anyone whose name was on the list earlier and is not there now need not fear applying again.

The clarification came because Form 6 requires a declaration about being included in the voter list for the first time. This confused some voters whose names were on the earlier voter list but are missing from the current draft list, when they applied afresh. According to the Commission, this declaration in Form 6 has been in force since August 1, 2022.

The Commission said any eligible voter whose name is not in the draft electoral roll can apply, by filling Form 6 as per the prescribed procedure, to be included in the final electoral roll. Whether the citizen's name was on the electoral roll before the draft roll was published will have no bearing on approval of the application.

The Commission said the application is being made for fresh inclusion because the name is not in the draft electoral roll. The declaration in Form 6 therefore cannot be considered false on the ground that the name was earlier on the electoral roll. For this reason, the Commission has clarified that no action will be taken against such voters under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

There is one condition. The name of the applicant must not be on the current electoral roll of Maharashtra or any other state in the country. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer has appealed to eligible citizens whose names are not in the draft voter roll to apply for inclusion by filling Form 6 as per the prescribed procedure.