IndiaPosted at: Oct 1 2026 11:04PM


Karnataka CEO moves against false voter claims as Form 7 deletion row escalates

New Delhi, Oct 1 (UNI) The Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer has directed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across all 224 Assembly constituencies to initiate action, in accordance with law, against applicants found to have knowingly made false statements or declarations in voter-registration forms, amid a growing controversy over alleged bulk filing of Form 7 applications seeking deletion of names from electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
In a significant directive issued on Thursday, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer said it had come to its notice that there were instances of “filing of bulk applications in Form 7 before the EROs” and that it had been alleged that “such forms are not genuine”.
The order covers Form 6, Form 6A, Form 7 and Form 8 and invokes Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which provides for action against a person who knowingly makes a false statement or declaration in writing in connection with electoral registration.
The CEO's office, however, specified that action under the law must be preceded by an inquiry under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The directive was sent to District Election Officers and Deputy Commissioners, Additional District Election Officers of the BBMP election districts, Commissioners of Bengaluru's city corporations, the Additional District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru Urban, and EROs of all 224 Assembly constituencies.
The order assumes significance against the backdrop of mounting allegations over the alleged misuse of Form 7 during the SIR exercise.
Form 7 is the prescribed mechanism for an elector to object to the inclusion of a name in the electoral roll or seek deletion on specified grounds. The CEO's directive does not itself conclude that the bulk applications referred to were false; rather, it requires the concerned EROs to conduct an inquiry where there are allegations or indications of knowingly false declarations and take action where such violations are established.
The directive came hours after Chief Minister D K Shivakumar led a protest outside the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Bengaluru, demanding an FIR and a time-bound investigation into what he alleged was an organised attempt to delete eligible voters through bulk Form 7 applications.
Shivakumar and Congress leaders have alleged that voters belonging to minority communities, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes were being targeted.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi separately alleged on Thursday that an organised attempt was under way in Belagavi to remove around 15,000 voters from the electoral rolls through a surge of Form 7 applications submitted over September 22, 23 and 24.
He demanded an FIR and action against those responsible.
Gandhi alleged that Muslims, SCs, STs and OBCs were among those targeted and questioned the manner in which the applications were allegedly generated and submitted.
These are political allegations made amid the wider dispute over the SIR exercise and have not been established by the CEO's October 1 directive.
The controversy has acquired a further legal dimension with the registration of an FIR in Belagavi on September 30 against BJP functionary Dr Ravi Patil and others over an alleged attempt to seek deletion of the names of 198 voters.
The allegations reportedly involve Form 7 applications containing allegedly forged documents and false information, and the matter is under investigation. The CEO's latest communication is therefore significant not because it automatically validates allegations of mass voter deletion, but because it explicitly reminds election officials of their statutory responsibility to examine potentially false declarations.
Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act provides a legal basis for action where a person knowingly makes a false statement or declaration in writing for electoral registration purposes. The requirement of an inquiry under Rule 20 also places verification at the centre of the process. In practical terms, the mere filing of a large number of Form 7 applications does not by itself establish that the applications are fraudulent; the authorities will have to determine whether the claims and declarations made in individual applications are genuine and whether there was any knowing submission of false information.
The issue is particularly sensitive as the SIR of electoral rolls has triggered political disputes across several states, with opposition parties alleging that eligible voters are at risk of being excluded, while election authorities have maintained that the revision process is intended to ensure accurate electoral rolls and must be carried out under the prescribed legal framework.
In Karnataka, the focus has now shifted to the verification of the disputed Form 7 applications. The CEO's October 1 directive effectively puts EROs on notice that allegations of false declarations cannot simply be ignored, while requiring due inquiry before any penal action is taken.
The outcome of those inquiries could determine whether the current controversy over bulk Form 7 filings results in further legal action against individual applicants or establishes that the applications were submitted through legitimate electoral processes.
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