BJP BLAs mark Delhi Muslim voters ‘dead’, issue mass deletion notices

New Delhi: At least 28 Muslim voters in Delhi’s Mustafabad constituency were targeted with applications seeking to remove their names from the electoral roll, falsely claiming they were dead or had permanently shifted, despite continuing to live at their registered addresses, a report by The Hindu said.

The applications, filed using Form 7, targeted residents of the Dayalpur neighbourhood, including Sajid Hussain's wife and son, who has lived in the area for over two decades. At least 19 of the affected voters reportedly produced valid identity documents and were found residing at their addresses.

Election Commission records identified BJP-appointed Booth-Level Agent (BLA)-2 Chandra Shekhar Nainwal as the applicant behind all 28 objections at polling booth 129. The targeted voters said they had completed the enumeration process and were included in the draft electoral roll.

The issue appears to be part of a wider pattern. Since August 31, Mustafabad has received 843 objections, 597 of them filed by third parties. BJP booth-level agents were named as objectors in 96 per cent of these cases, with 572 applications directed against Muslim voters across 24 polling parts.

Several BJP agents reportedly submitted more than the Election Commission's prescribed limit of 10 applications per individual elector. Ten agents filed over 30 forms each, while nine submitted more than 25. BLA-2 agents can submit bulk applications under specific conditions, including declarations confirming verification. However, officials told The Hindu that the required undertakings were missing from the submissions.

An October 9 ECI directive requires action against applicants found to have knowingly submitted false or fabricated declarations. Residents fear the deletion attempts are targeting them on religious grounds.