In late September 2026, a surge of bulk Form‑7 requests was recorded across several Karnataka assembly constituencies. More than 4,000 names, mostly of Muslim voters, were sought to be removed, raising concerns about electoral fairness.
Key Developments
- In Babaleshwar (Congress‑held), 1,373 Form‑7 applications arrived on 22 Sept. Ten individuals filed 1,363 of them, targeting voters outside their own polling stations.
- Elector Huchappa Ganiger submitted 493 applications across ~30 stations, most on the day before the 23 Sept deadline.
- In Bhalki (Bidar district, BJP‑held), at least 30 people filed objections deleting over 1,700 names on 23 Sept, with some filing multiple bulk requests over two days.
- Similar patterns emerged in Basavakalyan and Belthangady, both BJP seats, where a single elector filed the majority of applications, all against Muslim voters in a single polling station.
- Several forms showed the objector’s details handwritten while the names of voters to be deleted were pre‑printed, suggesting possible pre‑filled templates.
Important Facts
The reason cited for deletion was “Absent/Permanently Shifted”. Historically, Form‑7 requests were few—typically two or three per station, usually filed by the voter themselves. The bulk surge began on 22 Sept, a day before the statutory deadline.
Cross‑checking revealed anomalies: in some applications, the name of the objector (e.g., “Vishnuvardhan Kote”) did not match the person who signed the form, and the EPIC details linked to a different individual.
The Karnataka SIR confirmed that all objections will be scrutinised before any deletion, and warned that false claims could attract punishment.
Exam Relevance
This episode illustrates how electoral roll management can be weaponised for communal targeting, a topic relevant to GS2: Polity (electoral reforms, voter registration, and the role of the Election Commission). It also touches on GS4: Ethics (integrity of democratic processes) and the potential for misuse of administrative mechanisms.
Way Forward
- Strengthen verification mechanisms for bulk Form‑7 requests, possibly requiring in‑person confirmation or digital authentication.
- Introduce penalties for filing false deletion claims to deter communal manipulation.
- Ensure timely digitisation of offline applications to maintain transparency in the Form‑10 database.
- Promote voter awareness about their rights to contest wrongful deletions.