BJP Booth Agent Faces FIR For Seeking To Delete 30 Muslim Voters Using Form 7

An FIR has been filed against a BJP Booth Level Agent (BLA) S Balachander for allegedly attempting to delete the names of 30 voters from the electoral rolls in the Musheerabad Assembly constituency through pre-printed Form-7 applications in Telangana.

All 30 voters are from the Muslim community, according to the complaint and preliminary verification. 

The case was registered on October 6 on a complaint by Musheerabad Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) T Praveen Kumar Reddy. 

Chikkadpally police of Hyderabad Commissionerate Zone charged Balachander under Sections 217 and 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to furnishing false information and cheating, besides Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which deals with false statements or declarations in electoral matters.

According to the FIR, Balachander brought 30 digitally pre-printed Form-7 applications to Polling Station No. 210 on September 28, seeking deletion of voters allegedly unconnected to him. The Booth Level Officer (BLO) and supervisor reportedly refused to accept the bulk forms. Balachander allegedly left the documents at the polling station and left the premises. 

A subsequent field verification by election officials on October 1 found that all 30 voters were residing at the addresses recorded in the electoral roll.

The voters included Congress BLA Shafiuddin and members of his extended family.

The FIR is the first police case in Telangana linked to the ongoing controversy over alleged misuse of Form-7 during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Similar pre-printed applications have been reported from Bahadurpura and Goshamahal constituencies in Hyderabad. 

On October 5, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy directed election officials to initiate action against anyone found, after due inquiry, to have knowingly submitted false statements or declarations in Forms 6, 6A, 7 or 8. 

Hyderabad MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has written to the Telangana CEO alleging a similar pattern in Goshamahal, where pre-printed Form-7 applications were reportedly submitted against Muslim voters.

The BJP has rejected allegations of a party-led voter deletion drive and called for evidence to be presented through the legal process.