States » SouthPosted at: Oct 5 2026 5:11PM


No voter deleted over Form 7 objections so far, says Karnataka CEO

Bengaluru, Oct 5 (UNI) Amid the escalating political row over alleged mass deletion of names from Karnataka's electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbuk Kumar on Monday said not a single voter has been deleted so far merely because a Form 7 objection was filed, while warning that those knowingly making false declarations could face action under law.
Anbuk Kumar said every Form 7 objection seeking deletion has to go through a prescribed process, including notice to both the objector and the concerned voter, verification of documents and a hearing before the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) can take a decision.
"So far, not a single voter has been deleted from the draft roll because an objection was filed," he said after a video conference with District Election Officers and EROs across the State.
The clarification assumes significance amid allegations by the ruling Congress that Form 7 applications were being misused in bulk to target genuine voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The CEO said 91,278 Form 7 applications had been received as of October 4, but the figure by itself did not mean that an equal number of voters faced deletion.
"The objection has to be proved. Only after an enquiry and hearing can the ERO decide whether a name should be deleted," he said.
Anbuk Kumar said EROs had been specifically instructed to examine allegations of false declarations under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and initiate action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act wherever a person was found to have knowingly made a false statement.
However, he said no case had so far been registered by the CEO's office under these provisions.
On the issue of pre-printed Form 7 applications allegedly carrying voters' details before signatures were obtained, Anbuk Kumar stopped short of declaring the practice illegal, saying the matter was linked to FIRs and was therefore sub judice.
"I cannot interpret the rule in public. Please refer to the rules," he said when asked whether pre-printing voter details on Form 7 was legally permissible.
The CEO also said there was no formal definition of a "bulk request", but the election manual prescribes limits on Form 7 submissions. One person or Booth Level Agent can submit up to 10 Form 7 applications in a day and 50 during the SIR exercise, he said.
Applications beyond the prescribed limit would be examined by the ERO, who could reject them or initiate further action in accordance with law.
Karnataka has received 22,05,181 applications under various forms since June 16, including 9,10,732 Form 6 applications, 4,677 Form 6A, 91,278 Form 7 and 11,98,474 Form 8 applications.
The CEO described the over nine lakh Form 6 applications seeking voter enrolment as a "very good development", saying the response showed that young voters and persons who were earlier on the SIR-related list had come forward to participate in the revision process.
For applications received by September 23, the deadline for claims and objections, there were 7,86,520 Form 6, 4,528 Form 6A, 58,220 Form 7 and 10,99,875 Form 8 applications.
Anbuk Kumar said about 6.66 lakh cases remained to be disposed of and officials had assured him that the exercise would be completed by October 12, despite the formal deadline being October 22.
The final electoral roll will be published on October 27.
He also rejected allegations that Form 8 was being used to delete names, making it clear that the form was meant for corrections, replacement of EPICs and shifting of residence.
The continuous updating process has now resumed and voters can submit Forms 6, 6A, 7 and 8 even after the SIR claims period, he said.
A fresh special enrolment drive will also be undertaken after the final roll is published. BLOs will compare the pre-SIR 2025 roll with the post-SIR final roll and help eligible persons who are found in their locality but are missing from the new roll to submit Form 6.
Anbuk Kumar said the Election Commission's objective was to ensure that no eligible voter was left out while maintaining the integrity of the electoral roll.
On the large number of Form 7 applications, he said the CEO's office was still collecting detailed field-level data and would later provide a breakup of applications relating to deaths, duplicates and other grounds, besides the number rejected.
"Once any action is taken by the ERO, we will communicate it. We are not hiding any fact from day one," he said.
UNI BDN
Tags: #No voter deleted over Form 7 objections so far# says Karnataka CEO
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