Karnataka SIR: Form 7 submissions surged from 58,475 to 2.28 lakh in 1 month, shows data

Along with the notices, voters in parts of the state were concerned about the bulk submission of Form 7s. More than 10 FIRs were registered in different police stations across the state regarding the issue. (File)

AMID ALLEGATIONS of bulk submission of Form 7s during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, official data shows the Election Commission received 2,28,917 Form-7 applications in the state between June 16 and October 22.

Form 7 is used to lodge objections against the proposed inclusion of a name in the voter list, or to request the deletion of a name from the electoral rolls on specific grounds.

Between September 23, when the total Form 7s received was 58,475, and October 22, the number of applications surged by 1,70,442.

All Form-7 applications received up to September 23 have been cleared on priority, the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer office said in a statement issued on Friday.

The CEO office will release the final roll on October 27.

The ruling Congress in Karnataka, led by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, has alleged that the opposition BJP is misusing Form-7 applications to file bulk objections. The party also staged a protest in front of the CEO’s office earlier this month over the issue, after which the CEO directed a probe by Electoral Registration Officers. The state BJP has rejected the allegations.

The Karnataka CEO’s statement also noted that hearings for all 43.82 lakh voters in the draft roll – against whom notices were issued during the verification phase – were over.

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Apart from Form 7, the Election Commission has received 10.42 lakh Form 6s for inclusion into the electoral roll, and 13.10 lakh Form 8s for correction of entries such as voter address changes and others.

The SIR exercise has been at the centre of an intense political and civil society controversy in Karnataka since the completion of the enumeration phase in August. Over 1.08 crore electors were left out during the enumeration phase, which brought down Karnataka’s total voter tally from 5.54 crore to 4.46 crore in the draft electoral roll.

According to sources, around 10-13% of the 43.82 lakh voters who received notices could be removed from the final roll. In total, around 1.2 crore voters featured in the rolls prepared prior to the SIR exercise are likely to be removed.

Along with the notices, voters in parts of the state were concerned about the bulk submission of Form 7s. More than 10 FIRs were registered in different police stations across the state regarding the issue.

Most objections from… 

Electoral districts                     Form 7 submissions

Bangalore Urban                         24,268

BBMP South                              19,662

BBMP North                              18,659

Dakshina Kannada                    10,496

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Note: In Bijapur, where instances of bulk submissions first surfaced, the number was 4,666
Source: EC