The Crossbill News Desk
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has capped the number of Form 7 applications an individual can submit at 10, following allegations of bulk filings seeking the deletion of voters’ names from electoral rolls.
The move comes amid mounting questions over the poll body’s ability to monitor such objections and identify those responsible for submitting them, The Indian Express reported on Friday (October 9).
Form 7 allows electors to raise objections to the inclusion of names in the electoral roll or seek the deletion of their own names or those of other voters after publication of the draft electoral roll.
In a communication issued to the Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union Territories, the ECI acknowledged that bulk submissions based on unsubstantiated grounds had created difficulties for voters and increased the workload of officials responsible for processing objections.
“… instances have been brought to the notice of the Commission of filing of Form 7 objections in bulk by individual electors on unsubstantiated grounds, resulting in avoidable inconvenience to the elector objected upon and increased workload on field-level functionaries,” the ECI said in its letter on Friday.
The Commission noted that while online submissions were already restricted to six applications at a time, subject to their disposal, no specific limit had been prescribed for physical forms submitted in bulk. This had left Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to determine what volume of offline applications they could accept, creating operational difficulties.
“Although the number of applications to be filed online by an individual elector has been fixed as 6 at a time subject to disposal, the number of physical forms presented in bulk has not been defined and has been left to the judgement of the EROs, which is creating challenges for the field functionaries. Accordingly, the Commission with the intent to discourage bulk filing of objections by an individual elector has decided to prescribe… [limits] on filing of Form 7 applications in both online and offline mode,” the letter stated.
The decision follows scrutiny of Form 7 submissions during the ongoing electoral-roll revision process. In Delhi, an analysis of records reportedly found that some Booth Level Agents (BLAs) had submitted more than 10 objections a day.
The ECINET software did not identify these applications as having been filed by BLAs, allowing them to exceed the daily limit applicable to Form 7 submissions.
The controversy has also surfaced in Karnataka, where Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar alleged that pre-printed Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of voters’ names had been distributed to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). An FIR was subsequently registered against BJP workers in connection with the allegations, The Indian Express reported.
The ECI has also warned that applicants found to have knowingly submitted false objections could face action under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
“It may also be ensured that in case the ERO finds that the complaint is false / fabricated, he shall proceed to take action against the applicant who has knowingly made a false statement or declaration in writing in the Form 7 as per the provisions of Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The Chief Electoral Officers are requested to bring the above to the notice of all concerned EROs / AEROs and other field-level functionaries for necessary compliance and also sufficient publicity be given to these instructions,” the ECI said in its letter on Friday.
The new restrictions are intended to curb bulk objections and ease the burden on electoral officials. However, the controversy over Form 7 submissions has intensified scrutiny of the safeguards governing voter-list revisions, particularly the procedures used to challenge the inclusion of names in electoral rolls.
The move comes amid mounting questions over the poll body’s ability to monitor such objections and identify those responsible for submitting them, The Indian Express reported on Friday (October 9).
Form 7 allows electors to raise objections to the inclusion of names in the electoral roll or seek the deletion of their own names or those of other voters after publication of the draft electoral roll.
In a communication issued to the Chief Electoral Officers of all states and Union Territories, the ECI acknowledged that bulk submissions based on unsubstantiated grounds had created difficulties for voters and increased the workload of officials responsible for processing objections.
“… instances have been brought to the notice of the Commission of filing of Form 7 objections in bulk by individual electors on unsubstantiated grounds, resulting in avoidable inconvenience to the elector objected upon and increased workload on field-level functionaries,” the ECI said in its letter on Friday.
The Commission noted that while online submissions were already restricted to six applications at a time, subject to their disposal, no specific limit had been prescribed for physical forms submitted in bulk. This had left Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to determine what volume of offline applications they could accept, creating operational difficulties.
“Although the number of applications to be filed online by an individual elector has been fixed as 6 at a time subject to disposal, the number of physical forms presented in bulk has not been defined and has been left to the judgement of the EROs, which is creating challenges for the field functionaries. Accordingly, the Commission with the intent to discourage bulk filing of objections by an individual elector has decided to prescribe… [limits] on filing of Form 7 applications in both online and offline mode,” the letter stated.
The decision follows scrutiny of Form 7 submissions during the ongoing electoral-roll revision process. In Delhi, an analysis of records reportedly found that some Booth Level Agents (BLAs) had submitted more than 10 objections a day.
The ECINET software did not identify these applications as having been filed by BLAs, allowing them to exceed the daily limit applicable to Form 7 submissions.
The controversy has also surfaced in Karnataka, where Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar alleged that pre-printed Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of voters’ names had been distributed to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). An FIR was subsequently registered against BJP workers in connection with the allegations, The Indian Express reported.
The ECI has also warned that applicants found to have knowingly submitted false objections could face action under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
“It may also be ensured that in case the ERO finds that the complaint is false / fabricated, he shall proceed to take action against the applicant who has knowingly made a false statement or declaration in writing in the Form 7 as per the provisions of Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The Chief Electoral Officers are requested to bring the above to the notice of all concerned EROs / AEROs and other field-level functionaries for necessary compliance and also sufficient publicity be given to these instructions,” the ECI said in its letter on Friday.
The new restrictions are intended to curb bulk objections and ease the burden on electoral officials. However, the controversy over Form 7 submissions has intensified scrutiny of the safeguards governing voter-list revisions, particularly the procedures used to challenge the inclusion of names in electoral rolls.
Comments (0)
Leave a Comment