Over 1.28 lakh Form-7s filed just before SIR in Karnataka; 45,878 by third parties

In the month just before the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls began across Karnataka, more than 1.28 lakh Form-7 applications seeking deletion of names from the rolls were filed, including 45,878 by third parties — people other than the electors concerned or election officials, The Hindu has found.

Of the 45,878 third-party applications, 2,254 were ‘bulk applications’ filed by just 112 objectors, each of whom submitted at least 11 or more Form-7 applications. Basamma from Sindhanur filed 96 applications, the highest during the pre-SIR period (84 against electors in the same polling booth). Hanamant Calavadi from Bagalkot filed 62 applications, all targeting a single polling station.

The third-party applications accounted for 35.6% of all deletion requests received between the announcement of the exercise on May 14 and the freezing of the rolls on June 16 (to establish a baseline for the revision). Of the 45,878 applications, 36,439 cited death as the reason for seeking deletion, while 6,775 mentioned “absent or permanent shifted”.

In at least 28 Assembly constituencies, more than 1,000 Form-7 applications were filed before enumeration began. Of these, 20 are represented by the Congress. More than 28,441 of the total applications were concentrated in just four constituencies – Bagalkot, Belagavi North, Sindhanur and Nippani. Barring Nippani, the other three are represented by the Congress.

District-wise, Belagavi reported the highest number of applications, at 38,713, followed by Bagalkot with 13,889 and Raichur with 10,454. All three are Congress-dominated districts, with Raichur and Bagalkot also among the State’s backward districts.

The Hindu recently reported on Belagavi North, where BJP workers distributed pre-filled Form-7 applications targeting Muslim electors to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in at least six polling stations.

The 1.28 lakh-plus Form-7 applications were filed before BLOs began distributing enumeration forms on June 30 as part of the SIR. This meant that deletion requests were made even before the electors’ details could be verified through the enumeration process.

In the week before the rolls were frozen, between June 10 and June 16 alone, 20,671 Form-7 applications were submitted. On May 14, the day the SIR was announced in Karnataka, 3,624 applications were filed.

However, it remains unclear why Form-7 applications were accepted before the SIR began, when the enumeration phase was intended to identify the same categories of electors for whom Form-7 can be used to seek deletion. Form-7 can be filed to seek deletion of a name on grounds including death, permanent shifting, duplicate entries, underage enrolment or non-citizenship.

During the SIR, BLOs were to distribute enumeration forms to electors and identify those who were Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others (ASDDO) — the very categories on which Form-7 applications can seek deletions. At the draft-roll stage, 1.07 crore names had been excluded under these categories in the State.

Multiple Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) confirmed to The Hindu that Form-7 applications had been accepted before enumeration began and processed after the mandated one-week period. However, the AEROs said they were unaware of the bulk filings in their constituencies.

When asked why Form-7 applications were accepted before the SIR, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V. Anbu Kumar said, “The pending forms were processed till June 16, 2026, and on the basis of records Form-7s were accepted.” He did not clarify whether the names targeted by these applications had been deleted from the existing rolls before enumeration began or whether the electors concerned had been served notices.