BENGALURU: More than 61,000 applications seeking the deletion of names from Karnataka’s electoral rolls were filed by election officials without specifying the reasons for the proposed deletions, according to a report. The findings have raised questions about procedural compliance and transparency in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State.
The report identified 61,059 Form 7 applications filed by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs). None of these applications reportedly contained a reason in the designated field, even though the rules governing electoral roll revisions require objections to state the grounds for seeking a deletion.
What are Form 7 applications?
Form 7 is used to object to the inclusion of a name in an electoral roll or seek the deletion of an existing entry. Such applications may concern voters who have died, shifted residence, have duplicate entries or are otherwise ineligible under the applicable rules.
The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, prescribe the procedure for handling claims and objections. Rule 17 states that claims or objections not submitted within the prescribed period or in the prescribed form and manner must be rejected by the registration officer.
The absence of reasons in the applications raised concerns about whether the required procedural safeguards were followed and whether voters had adequate information to challenge proposed deletions.
Officials cite auto-generated applications
According to the report, election officials said the applications were generated automatically by software for voters marked as ineligible after hearings relating to unmapped records or logical discrepancies.
Officials reportedly said they had been instructed to submit Form 7 applications in cases involving voters who had shifted, had duplicate entries, were underage, had died or were not Indian citizens. However, the reason field was left blank in the auto-generated forms, which carried officials’ digital signatures.
The process raises questions about how individual cases were assessed and documented. The filing of an application does not, by itself, establish that a voter is ineligible, and the applicable procedures remain important to ensure that eligible voters are not wrongly removed from the rolls.
Most applications were filed after September 23
The report found that only 192 of the 61,059 applications were filed during the claims and objections period, which ran from August 24 to September 23. More than 60,800 applications were filed after that period had ended, with a substantial number submitted close to the October 22 disposal deadline.
Officials reportedly filed 10,105 applications on October 22 alone.
The timing is significant because applications received after September 23 were reportedly meant to be considered for a supplementary electoral roll rather than the final roll. The report also said sample checks found that some voters named in late applications had already been deleted from the electoral roll.
These findings raise questions about the handling of applications across different stages of the revision exercise and whether records were adequately cross-checked.
Bengaluru accounts for a large share
The report identified the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) South district as having the highest number of applications filed by election officials, at 10,374. BBMP North accounted for 8,443, while Bengaluru Urban recorded 8,102.
In the Bommanahalli Assembly constituency, officials filed 4,095 of the 5,757 applications received, according to the report. Election officials were reported to have filed more Form 7 applications than voters or third parties in at least 26 Assembly constituencies.
The concentration of applications in Bengaluru’s urban constituencies highlights the need for transparent records and proper scrutiny of individual cases.
Final electoral roll due on October 27
Karnataka’s final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 27. The reported findings have drawn attention to the need to ensure that applications seeking deletion comply with the prescribed rules and that voters receive the safeguards required under the electoral process.
The central issue is whether each proposed deletion has a valid, documented basis and has been processed in accordance with the applicable procedures. The handling of the applications and the publication of the final roll will be closely watched amid concerns over transparency and the protection of eligible voters’ names.