Bulk Form 7 applications spur fears of voter deletion in state

The controversy over Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has widened beyond allegations of individual errors, with voters in Bhalki, Vijayapura and Belagavi alleging that large numbers of Form 7 applications were filed to seek deletion of names, including those of Muslim electors.

The controversy over Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has widened beyond allegations of individual errors, with voters in Bhalki, Vijayapura and Belagavi alleging that large numbers of Form 7 applications were filed to seek deletion of names, including those of Muslim electors.

India News

In Bhalki Assembly constituency in Bidar district, more than 500 such applications were filed across polling stations 51, 52, 53 and 54 in Nittur (B), according to information obtained by Hindustan Times. Booths 52 and 53 have a sizeable Muslim electorate. More than 1,000 Muslim voters are also facing objections at polling stations 129, 107, 111, 112, 114 and 115 in Bhalki town.

The residents say the applications contain their voter details but were filed by people who do not live in the village. They allege that voters who have lived in Nittur for decades were described as having permanently shifted or being absent.

The allegations have acquired political significance because the affected voters say the objections were concentrated among Muslims. However, there is no established finding that the applications were part of a coordinated political operation. Officials have said a Form 7 application does not automatically result in deletion and that every case must undergo field verification and due process.

Mukhtar Bidre, a Nittur resident, said residents began checking the applications after learning about them on September 21.

“The forms contain voters’ names and EPIC numbers along with applicant names, mobile numbers and signatures, but no date of submission. When we call the mobile numbers mentioned, they are found to be from Mysuru and Bengaluru areas. There appears to be an attempt to create fake documents and deprive us of our voting rights,” he said.

Residents identified Pramod Kumar Biradar, Pandurang Sharanappa and Chandrakant Baburao as applicants, alleging that each had submitted between 50 and 100 applications in a day. They said the affected voters had Aadhaar cards, old voter IDs, ration cards and other documents establishing that they continued to live in the village.

For elderly voters, the prospect of losing their names from the roll has added a personal dimension to the dispute. “I am around 70 years old. I have been casting my vote here for nearly fifty years. Now we have been told someone has filled forms to get our votes deleted. No one else’s votes have been deleted, why target only us Muslims? I cannot read or write. They are making us feel as though we have no rights. Please don’t delete our votes,” said Akbar Bi.

Mansoor Bidre, Jabbar Shaikh and Razia Bi said their address and identity documents contradicted the claims made in the applications. “Our old voter ID, Aadhaar and address documents are all from this village. People who have nothing to do with us have submitted applications claiming we shifted. It should be revealed who did this and why,” they said.

The issue reached election and revenue officials on Saturday, when hundreds of Muslim voters gathered at the Nittur (B) Gram Panchayat office during a Praja Seva Andolana programme. They questioned Grade-II Tahsildar Pallavi Belakere, Shirastedar Gopal and other officials about the identity of the applicants and how so many forms had been accepted.

The officials subsequently left the premises after the protesters said their questions had not been adequately answered.

Jagadishwara Biradar, district head of Nagarika Matakavalu Samiti, questioned whether sufficient checks had been carried out before the applications were accepted. “It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to conduct a thorough investigation and make public the facts, including the alleged motive,” he said.

Rural development and panchayat raj minister Eshwar B Khandre, who represents Bhalki, said he had received reports of the alleged irregularities and sought a factual report from the district election officer and deputy commissioner.

“It has been reported that fake applications were submitted using mobile numbers from outside the state, allegedly with the intention of deleting names of eligible Muslim voters from the electoral roll in my constituency. If true, it would amount to a serious attempt to deprive eligible citizens of their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote and undermine the integrity of the electoral process,” Khandre told HT.

The issue has also surfaced elsewhere during the SIR. In Babaleshwar, large and medium industries minister MB Patil said objections had been filed against 1,607 voters and later withdrawn. He said about 14,000 objections had also been filed and withdrawn in Vijayapura City.

Patil alleged that Muslim voters and people living in slum areas were being targeted. Those claims are political allegations and have not been independently established.

The BJP has rejected allegations of a party organised exercise. Chitradurga MP Govind Karjol said individuals responsible for fraudulent applications should face action, regardless of their affiliation.

“Whoever has behaved in this unreasonable manner has done wrong. But our party did not follow such a practice. It is not the party’s position. Whoever commits fraud is wrong, regardless of who they are, and legal action should be taken against them. But our party has nothing to do with this. No one, whoever they may be, is above the Constitution,” Karjol said.

In Belagavi North, 382 Form 7 applications were reportedly filed at polling stations 125 and 127 shortly before the deadline. Booth level officers said two unidentified men arrived with bundles of applications and left after being asked for their details.

The men allegedly claimed to be municipal corporation employees. Officials later instructed BLOs not to process the applications immediately. There is no confirmed finding establishing who submitted them or whether they represented a political organisation.

Bidar Tahsildar Ravindra Dama said about 3,606 Form 7 applications had been received across Bidar district between September 23 and September 29. “No voter will be removed solely on the basis of a Form-7 application. Every claim is subject to field verification and due process before any decision is taken,” Dama told HT.