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New voters have to also submit parents' SIR details for inclusion in electoral rolls
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Shobha Karandlaje | Speaking to reporters at Chamundeshwari temple atop Chamundi Hills in Mysuru on Friday, Ms. Karandlaje appealed to the residents of the State, whose names did not figure in the voters’ list or those who had not filled and submitted their enumeration forms, to immediately complete the formalities.She referred to the large number of voter enumeration forms pending digitisation in Bengaluru North Lok Sabha constituency, which she represents. Ms. Karandlaje said several voters were preferring to retain their voting rights in their native place.“When we go house to house, many citizens are saying they will submit their enumeration forms in their native places and will vote there,” she said while appealing to Kannadigas to participate in the SIR process.Ms. Karandlaje also hit out at Urban Development Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah for opposing Hindu Rashtra. Published - August 07, 2026 08:55 pm IST
DMK president M.K. Stalin. FIle | Lakshmi Narayanan A writ petition has been filed in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to inquire into a complaint regarding former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin having allegedly suppressed certain details in his election affidavit and consequently initiate criminal proceedings against him under Section 125A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 if the allegation gets substantiated.First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan would be hearing on Monday (July 27, 2026) the writ petition filed by 73-year-old advocate T. Sivagnanasambandan who had contested against Mr. Stalin in Kolathur constituency in the 2026 Legislative Assembly elections as a candidate sponsored by Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi (DMSK).The petitioner submitted that Section 33A of the 1951 Act read with Rule 4A of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 requires every candidate contesting the parliamentary and Legislative Assembly elections to file affidavits, along with Form-26, disclosing all of their movable and immovable assets, liabilities, beneficial interests, trusteeships, financial interests and other material particulars.Filing of the affidavit was not an empty formality but a statutory requirement aimed at ensuring transparency and integrity in the electoral process so that the electorate could make an informed electoral choice after knowing about the financial status of the contestants, the petitioner said. He accused Mr. Stalin of not having disclosed details related to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Charitable Trust.The petitioner claimed Mr. Stalin had become the managing trustee of DMK Charitable Trust after the death of his father M. Karunanidhi in 2018. Thereafter, the trust had acquired an immovable property located at Kadambadi village in Chengalpattu district for a valuable consideration of ₹2.27 crore and the transaction was registered with the Tirukazhukundram Sub Registrar’s office in 2019.However, this material particular had not been disclosed in the Form-26 affidavit filed before the Returning Officer, the petitioner alleged and claimed to have made a representation in this regard to the ECI as well as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on May 12, 2026. The representation insisted upon conducting an immediate inquiry and initiation of proceedings under Section 125A of the 1951 Act.Claiming the ECI and the CEO had failed to act upon his representation, the petitioner sought a direction to them to consider and dispose of his plea “by conducting an inquiry into the allegations relating to suppression, non disclosure of trusteeship, beneficial interest... and thereafter, take appropriate action in accordance with law if the allegations are found to be substantiated.” Published - July 26, 2026 12:46 pm IST
Booth Level Officer (BLO) hands over an Enumeration Form to residents of RT Nagar during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)–2026 drive in Bengaluru on July 03, 2026. | By issuing instructions, the Election Commission (EC) has made it mandatory to attach SIR details of parents for new voters filling Form 6 for inclusion in the electoral rolls.The declaration was added in the Bihar SIR rolled out in June last year. New voters were made to file the declaration along with Form 6."Daily SIR bulletins of Bihar showed the form filled along with declarations," an EC functionary said.The functionary underlined that the declaration was added through instructions and Form 6 has not been amended."It helps in mapping electors and reduces the documents new voters need to submit along with the application," the official added.If a person fills Form 6 online, he or she cannot proceed further till the declaration is filled.Separately, the poll authority has defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, rejecting concerns raised by UN rapporteurs and asserting that the process is transparent, constitutional and endorsed by the Supreme Court.EC officials said the SIR aims to include all eligible Indian citizens while removing duplicate, deceased, shifted, absent and foreign voters from electoral rolls.Responding to allegations of large-scale deletion of minority voters, including in Nandigram, West Bengal, EC officials said voters had adequate opportunities to challenge exclusions and denied any bias.In a recent letter to the government, UN Special Rapporteurs have raised concerns over the SIR, alleging that the process lacks transparency. Published - July 12, 2026 04:36 pm IST
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