EC Limits Voter Deletion Requests to Curb Electoral Roll Misuse

To prevent bulk or malicious attempts to remove legitimate voters from electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has capped the number of Form 7 applications an individual registered elector can submit, introducing tighter safeguards amid controversies surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Under the new directive, an individual can file a maximum of 10 Form 7 applications during the claims-and-objections period and five applications per calendar month during continuous updation. The restrictions apply to both online and offline submissions. The Commission has directed chief electoral officers of all states and Union Territories to circulate the instructions among electoral officials.

Form 7 is used to object to a proposed voter inclusion or seek deletion of an existing entry. Under Rule 13(2) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the objector must be registered in the constituency concerned. While online submissions were previously limited to six at a time, bulk physical filings lacked a clearly defined numerical ceiling.

The ECI has directed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to verify applicants' identities, reject incomplete forms and ensure original signatures. Officials must hear objectors, record statements separately for each application and give affected voters an opportunity to respond before ordering deletion. Knowingly false declarations can attract action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, following the prescribed inquiry.

The move follows reports of alleged bulk filings in Karnataka, Telangana and Odisha. In Bengaluru's Jayanagar constituency, a complaint alleged that applications sought deletion of 5,698 voters, while another controversy involved 778 voters in Malleswaram. The allegations remain subject to investigation.

Karnataka had 45,161,393 registered electors as of October 9, including 22,403,422 men, 22,755,113 women and 2,858 transgender voters. Between June 16 and October 8, the state received 23,02,215 applications: 9,52,497 Form 6 enrolment requests, 4,712 Form 6A applications from overseas Indian citizens, 1,10,654 Form 7 objections and 12,34,352 Form 8 correction or address-change requests.

Officials generated 43,82,315 notices and delivered 43,73,745, or 99.80%. Hearings were completed in 40,88,099 cases, representing 93.47% of delivered notices, while 2,85,646 remained pending. The deadline for disposing of claims and objections was October 22, with the final roll scheduled for October 27.

During SIR, recognised political parties' Booth Level Agents can submit up to 50 forms daily before draft-roll publication and 10 afterwards. The Supreme Court, in its May 27 judgment concerning Bihar's SIR, upheld the Commission's authority to conduct intensive revisions while underscoring procedural safeguards.

The cap aims to reduce frivolous objections and administrative burdens. However, its effectiveness will depend on transparent verification, fair hearings and timely remedies for eligible voters wrongly challenged or omitted. The central test is whether electoral rolls can be made more accurate without disenfranchising legitimate voters.