On Thursday evening, the Congress party in Karnataka achieved a significant development as the state’s chief electoral officer (CEO) agreed to pursue legal action against individuals who submitted numerous Form-7 applications aimed at removing eligible voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
This commitment was made following a demonstration led by Congress legislators, including Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, at the CEO’s office. The party accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of neglecting complaints regarding fraudulent Form-7 submissions in various constituencies across the state.
Form-7 serves the purpose of raising objections concerning the inclusion or deletion of names from the existing electoral roll.
“In response to our allegations, the CEO has informed all electoral officers to reject any Form-7 applications except those related to deaths or duplicate entries. For cases of death, a death certificate must be uploaded, and for duplicate entries, the details of the additional EPIC number must be recorded in the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) remarks,” Shivakumar stated, citing CEO V Anbukumar’s confirmation.
Despite receiving this assurance, Shivakumar noted that the protesters insisted on remaining at the office until the ECI took action against the fraudulent electoral roll submissions. “They have assured us that steps will be taken against those who made false claims in Forms-6, 6A, and 7,” he added.
The CEO has instructed the relevant EROs to take legal action against any applicant who knowingly submits false information as per the Representation of the People Act.
“This will be followed by an inquiry under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electoral Rules,” Shivakumar informed reporters. As the ECI’s investigation unfolds, local police will also look into the FIRs filed concerning the fraudulent bulk submissions of Form-7s, he mentioned.
Before the protest, Shivakumar had submitted a memorandum to Anbukumar that included three FIRs lodged on September 30 and October 1.
The Karnataka Congress intensified its campaign against the SIR on Thursday, with Shivakumar claiming that “lakhs” of Form-7 applications were filed to eliminate eligible voters, in addition to the 1.07 crore voters already removed during the enumeration phase. Notices for verification have been issued to 43 lakh voters listed in the draft roll.
The SIR process in Karnataka commenced on June 30, marking the first such exercise in 24 years since the last one was conducted in 2002.
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