Karnataka BJP leaders meet DGP, seek review of FIRs over Form 7 filings

Senior Karnataka BJP leaders on Saturday, October 3, urged Director General and Inspector General of Police MA Saleem to review the FIRs registered against party workers over Form 7 applications filed during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, BJP state president BY Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy were among those who met Saleem and submitted a memorandum. The delegation included several MPs, MLAs and MLCs.

The BJP alleged that police were registering cases against its workers under pressure from the Congress government following Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s protest at the Election Commission office in Bengaluru on October 1 over alleged bulk filing of Form 7 applications. The party sought assurances that complaints would be handled on the basis of evidence and due process.

The party maintained that Form 7 is a statutory mechanism through which an elector can object to the inclusion of a name or seek deletion of an existing entry from the electoral roll. It argued that submitting multiple forms during an electoral-roll revision cannot, by itself, constitute a criminal offence.

The BJP memorandum referred to the SIR guidelines and the Manual on Electoral Rolls, 2023, and argued that there was no prescribed limit on the number of Form 7 applications that could be submitted. It said criminal liability would have to be determined based on the conduct of individual applicants, including whether they knowingly provided false information or used forged signatures or documents.

The delegation also referred to FIRs registered in Bhalki in Bidar, Belagavi, and Narasimharaja in Mysuru in connection with alleged attempts to delete names from the electoral rolls. The BJP asked the police to review such cases and apply the same legal standards to all applicants, irrespective of political affiliation.

Ashoka said Congress leaders had pressured the police to register criminal cases against BJP workers. “Submitting Form 7 is not a crime. It is the Election Commission, not the police station, that has to determine the truth and validity of a voter,” he said.

Ashoka also claimed that people from Bangladesh had been brought and settled on 15 acres of land at Kogilu Cross in Bengaluru, and that there had been an attempt to add more than 300 families living there to the electoral rolls.

Yediyurappa warned of a statewide protest if police continued to take action against BJP workers over the Form 7 issue. “Under no circumstances should legal action be taken against party workers. They should not be arrested, harassed or assaulted,” he said.

He also criticised Shivakumar’s protest at the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, alleging that the Chief Minister had exerted pressure on the election authorities. Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara rejected the criticism, saying the ministers had gone to submit a memorandum and not stage a protest.

Vijayendra alleged that the police department was acting under pressure from the state government and urged Saleem not to register FIRs against BJP workers merely for submitting Form 7 applications. He said the party would pursue a legal battle and warned of protests, including a possible siege of police stations, if more cases were registered.

The BJP also raised concerns over Form 7 applications containing applicants’ names, mobile numbers and signatures being circulated on social media and political forums. It sought an inquiry into how the documents entered the public domain and who was responsible for their disclosure.

The delegation’s demand comes after Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar directed election officials to initiate action against applicants who knowingly make false claims or objections through electoral forms. The direction followed allegations of bulk and allegedly non-genuine Form 7 applications seeking deletion of eligible voters.

The BJP said genuine violations should be prosecuted in accordance with law, but said it opposed what it described as blanket criminal action against those who submitted Form 7 applications as part of the SIR process.