Karnataka’s 115-day Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is scheduled to end on October 22, with the final voter list expected to be published on October 27. At the same time, citizens who submitted Form 6 applications for inclusion are receiving Electors Photo Identity Card numbers by SMS, according to a report by the Times of India.
The processing of Form 6 applications has remained a source of uncertainty during the revision exercise because the form describes applicants as people seeking inclusion as “new voters”. Its declaration states that a false statement is punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, with imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both.
The Election Commission’s October 1 letter to chief electoral officers, which encouraged the use of Form 6 to enrol voters left out after the revision, appears to have reassured applicants. Citizens quoted in the report said the communication helped restore confidence in using the form.
Some applicants who submitted Form 6 outside the claims-and-objections period, which ran from August 24 to September 23, have also received EPIC numbers. In some cases, applicants have been included in the final rolls without submitting the declaration linking them to the 2002 electoral rolls.
One Bengaluru resident who applied on July 7 said his name appeared on the draft electoral roll, although his EPIC number was sent by SMS only in October. The application did not ask for details relating to the 2002 rolls.
In another case, a resident of Parappana Agrahara applied on July 21 on behalf of her mother, who had earlier lived in Delhi. The family was told there that the mother’s name could be deleted because she no longer lived there. A Bengaluru booth-level officer then suggested submitting Form 6. The application was processed after the draft rolls were published, and the EPIC number was received on October 18.
The applicant said the family had not been assured that her mother would appear on the final roll. The case illustrates the difficulties faced by voters whose residence has changed between cities and whose electoral records need to be updated through local officials.
Another application was filed by booth-level officer for Bhagyamma, described as a 2002 elector, on October 8. Her EPIC confirmation arrived by October 14. The documents submitted included self-attested proof of age and address, with PAN and Aadhaar used for the application.
The post-SIR Form 6 process also sought mapping information. Applicants were asked to provide details of a family member living at the current address and already included on the electoral roll, along with that person’s EPIC number. The form also sought the names of the applicant’s father, mother and spouse, while continuing to describe the applicant as seeking inclusion for the first time.
The final electoral roll is expected to be released on October 27 after the revision concludes on October 22.
