Applying for new voter ID? Keep these papers ready next month
Times of India | 27 November 2025
Kolkata: For the first time, the Election Commission (EC) has mandated new voter applicants to furnish Annexure IV, a declaration form similar to Annexure III, the SIR form, along with Form 6 for inclusion of their names in the electoral roll of Bengal. This aims at aligning the process more closely with the existing SIR format, say sources.
Applications for inclusion of new voters in the electoral roll, which is now on hold due to the SIR process, can only be made after Dec 9. The draft SIR roll will be published on Dec 9, and after that, new applications can be submitted by Jan 8 to get the names included in the final SIR roll to be published on Feb 7.
"The Commission has introduced Annexure IV for the new applicants to include their names in the electoral roll. The lower half of the form is exactly similar to Annexure III, where an applicant will have to write his/her parental linkage as mentioned in the last 2002 SIR rolls of Bengal," a senior EC official said. He added that post-Feb 7, parental linkage as mentioned in the 2026 SIR roll is mandatory for the new applications.
"For the new voters who are turning 18 in Jan, they will have to write their parents'/grandparents' names as mentioned in the 2002 SIR roll with the name and number of the Assembly constituency, part number, and serial number. If parents'/grandparents' names are included in the electoral lists of any other state, the applicants will have to mention those details as per the latest final SIR roll of that state," another Commission official elaborated.
Besides introducing Annexure IV for the new applications, the EC has also made it mandatory to submit one of the 11 documents as notified by the Commission in addition to Aadhaar. Since 2022, having Aadhaar was enough to enrol one's name in the electoral list.
"But now onwards, every new application is to be submitted along with the photocopy of any of the 11 notified documents as proof of Indian citizenship. As per the law, no one except an Indian citizen can vote upon attaining 18 years of age," the first official said. The EC has already made it clear that the Aadhaar card is to be accepted and utilised as proof of identity and not as proof of citizenship.