India’s democratic foundation rely on the principle that only its citizens have the right to vote. Yet, with a quiet loophole within the voter registration process has allowed the non-citizens to sneak into the electoral rolls—and the culprit is Form 6.
Form 6 is the official document used by individuals
People who are aged 18 and above to register as voters in India. On paper, it seems straightforward the applicants are declare their citizenship and they provide proof of age and residence. But in Form 6 it does not require any kind of document that proves the Indian citizenship. A declaration is all it takes.
This oversight has sparked the concern
States like Bihar, where the Election Commission (EC) is conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for voter rolls. The Election Commission aims to weed out non-citizens wrongly included in the voter rolls, but critics claim the system has already caused irreversible damage. By accepting Aadhaar cards as proof of identity and address, officials have allowed millions of non-citizens to register without ever verifying their Indian citizenship.
Political strategist Amitabh Tiwari highlights that Form 6 mentions Aadhaar six times.
The word “citizen” appears only twice. That reflects that the form’s priorities and its vulnerabilities. People across India widely use Aadhaar, PAN cards, and driving licenses, but these documents do not confirm their citizenship .Yet all of them are often enough to get someone on the voter list.
The EC has issued a list of 11 documents for the SIR
Which includes the birth certificates, passports, and domicile papers. Aadhaar is now excluded from this list, a move that has stirred all the political debate. Opposition leaders have argued that excluding such commonly held documents could defranchise all the genuine voters, while others insist that it’s a necessary step to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
Former Chief Election Commissioners have called for a complete voter registration system
They all argue that Form 6 was designed in a different era long before the scale of illegal immigration it have became a national concern. Today, with the estimates suggesting that India may host over 20 million illegal immigrants, the stakes now calculated are higher than ever.
The issue isn’t just bureaucratic now it’s deeply political.
Voter rolls shapes elections, and elections shape the country’s future. If non-citizens are voting, even unintentionally, it could give the very idea of self-governance.
As India gears up for future elections, the need for reform is urgent and necessary. Form 6 must evolve to reflect the realities of modern India. Citizenship should not be a checkbox they should be a verified fact.
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