Mere filing of Form-7 doesn’t mean deletion of voter names: Karnataka CEO Anbukumar

As a political slugfest rages in Karnataka over allegations that Form-7 applications were filed in bulk seeking deletion of voters from certain communities during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V Anbukumar has clarified that no names have been summarily deleted from the voter list solely based on Form-7 applications.

Addressing a press conference on behalf of the Election Commission (EC) on Monday (October 5), Anbukumar gave a detailed explanation of the filing and vetting process.

Steps involved: From filing to deletion

Data released by the CEO’s office said that Form-7 is used either to request the deletion of an existing voter's name or to raise an objection against a new inclusion. A total of 91,278 Form-7 applications were received in the state between June 16 and October 4.

However, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) do not possess the authority to delete names immediately upon receipt of these applications; a mandatory legal inquiry must be conducted after the application is submitted. A decision is taken only after issuing notices to the person who filed the objection and the concerned voter, hearing their representations, and verifying the relevant documents.

Anbukumar explained that this entire process is being conducted under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

43 lakh ‘no mapping’, ‘anomalies’ notices sent

The CEO’s office said, as part of the SIR process, notices are already being issued to voters identified under the ‘No Mapping’ and ‘Anomalies’ categories. A total of 4,382,313 notices have been generated across the state, of which 4,355,818 (99.40 per cent) have already been delivered; only 26,495 notices remain to be delivered. Hearings have been completed for 3,689,063 of the cases where notices were issued, while the remaining 666,755 hearings are ongoing, the CEO’s office said.

Final roll to be up by Oct 27

The EC has clarified that receiving a notice does not mean a voter's name has been deleted; it is merely part of the inquiry process.

The commission has also set a specific timeframe for these hearings. The final phase of hearings will take place on October 12, and the disposal of claims and objections will be fully concluded by October 22. The CEO's office has announced that the final revised electoral roll will be officially published on October 27.

Bulk of Form-7 filled from Bidar

A total of 2,205,171 applications were submitted during this revision process (June to October). These included 9,10,732 applications under Form-6 (new enrollments), 1,198,484 under Form-8 (corrections), and 91,278 under Form-7 (objections). Among the Form-7 applications, Bidar district recorded the highest number (5,953), followed by Shivamogga (5,936) and Dakshina Kannada (5,534). Thousands of applications were also received from the Bengaluru region.

One applicant, 50 forms

According to the rules, an individual can submit a maximum of 10 Form-7 applications in a single day and a maximum of 50 throughout the entire process. Legal action will be taken if the number of applications exceeds these limits.

Anbukumar warned that officials have been instructed to initiate disciplinary action under the Representation of the People Act if false information is provided intentionally.

CEO mum on fake Form-7s

When asked about FIRs registered in some areas regarding the use of printed Form-7s, he declined to comment, stating that the matter is currently sub-judice.

As per the data from October 5, there are a total of 4,50,29,916 voters in Karnataka, comprising 2.23 crore men and 2.26 crore women. The CEO said the serial numbers of some voters may have changed due to the reallocation of polling stations and therefore, there is no need to panic if a name does not appear in the previous list.

The EC has urged the public to verify their names on the Voter Service Portal or the Voter Helpline App using their EPIC number.

(This article originally appeared in The Federal Karnataka)