Karnataka SIR: EC warns of action against bulk Form 7 applications

Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V Anbu Kumar on Thursday said legal action would be initiated against anyone found filing bulk applications to delete voters during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The directive came after Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Congress legislators protested outside the chief electoral officer’s office, alleging that BJP and JD(S) workers were filing false Form 7 applications.

Shivakumar withdrew the protest following the announcement.

In a circular to district election officers and electoral registration officers, Kumar said his office had received reports of bulk Form 7 applications and allegations that some were not genuine. He directed officials to investigate the claims.

Shivakumar said electoral officials had been instructed to approve Form 7 applications only in cases involving deaths or duplicate entries. Applications citing deaths must include a death certificate, while those citing duplicate entries must mention the second voter ID number in the remarks.

The Hindu had earlier reported that about 4,000 applications had been filed to delete voters in Karnataka, with a majority targeting Muslims, based on Form 10 data consolidating Form 7 applications.

In Vijayapura district’s Babaleshwar constituency, 1,373 Form 7 applications were received on September 22. The report found that 1,363, or 99.2%, were filed by 10 people, largely against Muslim voters in polling stations where the objectors were not registered.

In Bhalki in Bidar district, more than 1,700 deletions were sought by 30 people on September 23, with several applicants also filing objections the previous day.

Shivakumar accused BJP and JD(S) workers of seeking to remove eligible voters, while BJP Karnataka president BY Vijayendra rejected the allegation and said voters suspected of being ineligible should be verified.

Police registered five FIRs on Thursday over the irregularities.

The SIR exercise has faced wider criticism over concerns about its implementation and its potential effect on genuine voters. The Supreme Court upheld its legality in May but said this did not give the Election Commission authority to determine whether a person is an Indian citizen.