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Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar has directed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to take action against people who knowingly make false claims or objections for deletion of voters using Form 7.
The direction came on Thursday, October 1, after Chief Minister DK Shivakumar staged a day-long protest outside the CEO’s office in Bengaluru, demanding criminal action over alleged bulk filing of Form 7 applications during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Form 7 is used to object to the inclusion of a name in the electoral roll or seek its deletion. Shivakumar has alleged that leaders and workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] have filed large numbers of pre-printed Form 7 applications targeting voters in several constituencies. He stated that the forms carried voters’ names, EPIC numbers and booth details, and alleged that they had been prepared and distributed among party workers. These allegations have not been established by the Election Commission.
Shivakumar cited alleged instances in Belagavi where some Booth Level Agents had withdrawn Form 7 applications and submitted apology letters, and alleged that around 13,000 Muslim voters were targeted in Vijayapura. He also alleged that the bulk filings were part of an attempt to delete another 50 lakh voters after the publication of the draft electoral rolls under the SIR process.
The allegations came amid reports of unusually large Form 7 submissions in some constituencies. Rural Development Minister Eshwar Khandre alleged that 36 people, most of them BJP workers, had filed Form 7 applications seeking deletion of 3,244 voters in his Bhalki constituency in a single day. He said that one person had filed 241 pre-printed forms.
In a circular issued to District Election Officers, Deputy Commissioners, Additional District Election Officers of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bengaluru’s city corporations, and EROs of all 224 Assembly constituencies, Anbukkumar said his office had received reports of bulk Form 7 applications being filed before EROs.
The circular also noted allegations that some of these applications were not genuine. It directed EROs to take action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, against applicants who knowingly make false statements or declarations in writing in Form 6, Form 6A, Form 7, or Form 8.
Such action must be preceded by an inquiry under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the CEO said.
The direction brought an immediate end to Shivakumar’s protest, which he had staged outside the CEO’s office with several Cabinet ministers and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president BK Hariprasad. In a memorandum, he sought FIRs and a time-bound criminal investigation into the alleged bulk filing of Form 7 applications, and said he would not leave until action was initiated against those responsible.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad also raised the allegation that Form 7 applications were being printed and distributed among BJP and Sangh Parivar workers, with some individuals allegedly filing hundreds of applications.
Hariprasad said the presence of voters’ details on pre-printed forms indicated that the applications had been prepared and distributed systematically.
Shivakumar had earlier said he submitted documents and videos to the CEO, including material relating to alleged bulk filings in Belagavi, Mysuru, and Bidar. He said the question of who printed and distributed the forms would also have to be investigated separately.
“Our state government has delivered its duty to protect the rights of every voter,” Shivakumar said. He had cancelled a Cabinet meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon to continue his protest at the CEO’s office. He added that he had taken an oath to protect the rights of all voters and could not remain silent when those rights were allegedly under threat.
The CEO had initially sought time to examine reports from district election officials, according to Shivakumar. The Chief Minister, however, maintained that the material already submitted was sufficient to warrant immediate action. He also said the government would continue to pursue the issue and provide documents needed to protect voters who had received notices seeking deletion from the electoral rolls.
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