4 hrs ago
Election Commission Caps Form 7 Filings Amid Bulk Submission Row
Form 7 is used to challenge a name on the voter list or ask for a name to be removed.
The Election Commission has set a limit on how many forms one person can submit.
A person may submit up to 10 during the claims and objections period, or five per month during regular updates.
The limit applies to online and paper forms.
The Commission says bulk submissions have caused trouble for voters and election workers.
Reports of large numbers of filings have prompted scrutiny, including in Karnataka and Odisha.
Before deciding a case, election officials must check the form and hear from the people involved.
A person whose name is challenged must also get a chance to respond.
The Commission says officials should take action if someone knowingly makes a false declaration.
The Election Commission capped individual Form 7 filings at 10 during the claims and objections period and five per month during continuous electoral-roll updates.
The limits apply to both online and offline Form 7 submissions, which can challenge an inclusion or seek deletion of a name.
The directive follows reports of bulk, allegedly targeted submissions, including in Karnataka and Odisha; complaints in Karnataka constituencies led to FIRs over allegedly false or forged applications.
Applicants must be registered voters in the same Assembly constituency, and officials must verify applications and hear the objector and the voter whose name is challenged.
The Commission said bulk filings caused inconvenience and increased officials’ workload; it also directed officials to act under Section 31 when applicants knowingly make false declarations.
- Who
- The Election Commission of India, individual electors filing Form 7, and election officials handling the applications.
- What
- The Commission capped individual Form 7 submissions and instructed officials to strengthen checks and hearings.
- Where
- The limits apply across States and Union Territories in India; reports of bulk submissions included Karnataka and Odisha.
- When
- The instructions were issued on Friday; the articles do not state a date.
- Why
- The Commission cited bulk submissions it said caused avoidable inconvenience to voters and increased field officials’ workload.
Election Commission’s rationale
Reported concerns and allegations
Bulk filings
Election Commission’s rationale
The Commission said bulk, unsubstantiated objections caused inconvenience to voters and increased the workload of election officials, so limits and stronger verification were needed.
Reported concerns and allegations
The articles report criticism over alleged targeted bulk filings. In Karnataka, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar accused BJP-linked individuals of trying to remove eligible voters; the articles do not provide a detailed response from those accused.
Deletion decisions
Election Commission’s rationale
The Commission’s instructions require verification and hearings before an objection is decided, including an opportunity for the challenged voter to be heard.
Reported concerns and allegations
Complaints in several Karnataka constituencies led to FIRs over allegedly false or forged applications, while Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer said no voter had been deleted on the basis of the objections received.
Key facts
- Claims and objections limit
- A maximum of 10 Form 7 applications per individual for the entire period.
- Continuous updation limit
- A maximum of five Form 7 applications per individual per month.
- Filing modes
- The new limits apply to both online and offline applications.
- Form 7 purpose
- To object to a proposed electoral-roll inclusion or request deletion of a name.
- Applicant eligibility
- The applicant must be registered to vote in the same Assembly constituency.
- Hearing safeguards
- The electoral registration officer must assess each objection and give both the objector and the voter whose name is challenged an opportunity to be heard.
- False declarations
- The Commission directed officials to initiate action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, if an applicant knowingly makes a false written statement or declaration.
- Earlier filing rules
- Online submissions had previously been limited to six at a time, while the articles say no numerical cap had applied to bulk physical forms submitted by individual electors.
Quotes
Election Commission of India
India’s national election-management body
“Maximum number of Form 7 applications during the entire period of claims and objections by an individual elector: 10,”
NDTV
Sources
Election Commission tightens limits on submission of Form 7 to delete voters
After Row, EC Caps Form 7 Voter Deletion Applications At 10
Election Commission Caps Voter Deletion Forms At 10 Per Individual Amid Row
Election Commission puts limits on submission of Form 7 to delete voters amid row over SIR
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