Amid SIR Row, EC Caps Form 7 Applications At 10 During Electoral Roll Revision

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has capped the number of Form 7 applications an individual elector can submit at 10 during the claims-and-objections period of electoral roll revisions, following complaints about bulk filings seeking the deletion of voters’ names.

The limit applies to both online and offline submissions, while applications made during routine, continuous updating of electoral rolls have been capped at five per month.

The poll panel said bulk objections on unsubstantiated grounds had caused avoidable inconvenience to voters and increased the workload of election officials.

Form 7 is used to object to the inclusion of a person’s name in an electoral roll or seek deletion of an existing entry. Under the new instructions, an individual elector can file up to 10 applications throughout the claims-and-objections period, which generally follows publication of a draft electoral roll.

The ECI has directed chief electoral officers of all states and Union territories to communicate the revised limits to electoral registration officers and other field-level officials.

The move comes amid allegations of organised attempts to seek voter deletions in several constituencies, including in Karnataka. The Congress had raised concerns over bulk Form 7 submissions, with Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar alleging that BJP workers had been supplied pre-printed applications to seek the removal of voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

These allegations should be distinguished from any findings established through official investigation.

EC Cites Gaps In Rules For Physical Applications

The Commission said online Form 7 submissions had already been restricted to six at a time, subject to disposal, but no corresponding numerical limit had been prescribed for physical forms submitted in bulk.

The number of paper applications had been left to the discretion of electoral registration officers, creating difficulties for officials handling objections. The new ceiling is intended to address this gap and discourage large-scale submissions by individual electors.

The rules also provide for political parties’ recognised booth-level agents (BLAs) to submit applications in bulk under separate limits. During the SIR exercise, BLAs may submit up to 50 forms per day to booth-level officers before publication of the draft roll, and up to 10 per day afterwards. These provisions are distinct from the new cap imposed on individual electors.

ECI Reiterates Verification And Hearing Requirements

The ECI has also reiterated safeguards governing objections to electoral roll entries. Electoral registration officers must issue notice to the objector, hear them personally and record statements separately for each Form 7 application.

The person whose name is challenged must be given an opportunity to be heard before an order is passed on the objection.

The Commission has further directed officials to verify applications and act where a complaint is found to be false or fabricated. Under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, knowingly making a false statement or declaration in writing can attract imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both.

The prescribed process is intended to ensure that electoral roll deletions follow verification and due procedure rather than unsubstantiated claims.