The Crossbill News Desk
Allegations of large-scale misuse of Form-7 during the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam have triggered a sharp political confrontation ahead of the state’s upcoming polls, with opposition parties claiming that genuine citizens are being harassed and intimidated. The concerns were flagged in a report by The Times of India.
Form-7 allows a voter to object to the inclusion of another person’s name in the electoral roll or seek deletion of their own or someone else’s name due to death or change of residence. Opposition parties allege that this provision is being weaponised to selectively target voters, particularly from minority communities.
According to the report, in a joint statement, Left parties – CPI(M), CPI, CPIML), Forward Bloc and SUC|(C) – said that Form-7 was being used to target minority voters.
The Congress, meanwhile, has filed a police complaint in Boko-Chhaygaon against local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and officials over alleged unauthorised deletions and inclusions. As per the report, opposition parties on Friday (January 23) urged the Election Commission to ensure that no eligible voter is removed during the ongoing revision due to the “misuse” of Form-7 and demanded an extension of the February 2 deadline for disposal of claims and objections.
Responding to the controversy, the state election department issued a public advisory clarifying that the submission of Form-7 does not automatically result in deletion of a voter’s name.
As reported by The Times of India, the department stated that every objection must go through a defined legal process, including field verification and issuing notice to the concerned elector, who would be given an opportunity to be heard.
“No name can be deleted from the electoral roll without following the prescribed legal procedure. Electors are advised not to be apprehensive and to cooperate with verification officials when contacted,” the advisory said.
“Any elector whose name is proposed to be deleted will be duly informed and given full opportunity to present their case,” it added.
The advisory further warned that providing false information or knowingly retaining incorrect entries while submitting Forms 6, 7 or 8 constitutes an offence punishable under law, including Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The revision exercise ‘aims to ensure a clean, accurate and inclusive electoral roll, and no elector should feel apprehensive’, the department said, adding that statutory remedies are available under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 for anyone aggrieved by inclusion, exclusion or correction of entries. Applications of all objections are to be disposed of by February 2, with final electoral rolls scheduled to be published on February 10.
Several political leaders, however, have argued that the timeline is unrealistic. Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev, in a letter written on Friday to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, described the SR exercise as “not only hurried but extremely haphazard”.
Raising concerns over the scale of objections, Dev wrote that “huge amounts of objections” had been filed under Form 7 to delete names from the rolls.
“These Form 7 objections for deletion of names have been filed by persons in bulk, and in most cases, the complainant, who is named in the form, is either untraceable or has denied filing these forms,” her letter said.
She also warned of serious consequences for voters if the process was rushed.
“To serve each and everyone a notice and hold a hearing within 11 days is an impossible task which is bound to deprive genuine voters from an effective hearing and consequences will be loss of their democratic rights to vote. There is a state of panic, distress and anger amongst the genuine voter.”
Among her demands was an extension of the deadline for hearings and disposal by at least seven days to ensure a fair opportunity for voters to defend their right to vote.
Earlier, Assam’s leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia had also written to the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging “serious irregularities” in the draft electoral rolls published after the SR, according to The Hindu.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, however, dismissed the allegations and insisted that there was no controversy surrounding the SR.
Quoted by The Times of India, Sarma defended the process, saying notices were being served only to “miya” Muslims – Muslims of Bengali origin living in lower Assam – and not to indigenous communities.
“There is no debate over SR. Which Hindu family has received a notice? Which Assamese Muslim household has seen a notice?” he said.
“We have to issue notices to miyas living here. There is nothing to hide. I am troubling them.”
Sarma further described the notices as part of a broader strategy to keep alleged “illegal immigrants” under pressure.
“They have to understand that at some level, people of Assam are resisting them. Otherwise, they will get a walkover. That’s why some will get notices during SR, some for eviction, some from border police (relating to citizenship). We will do some utpaat, but within the ambit of law…we are with the poor and downtrodden, but not those who want to destroy our jati,” he said.
Form-7 allows a voter to object to the inclusion of another person’s name in the electoral roll or seek deletion of their own or someone else’s name due to death or change of residence. Opposition parties allege that this provision is being weaponised to selectively target voters, particularly from minority communities.
According to the report, in a joint statement, Left parties – CPI(M), CPI, CPIML), Forward Bloc and SUC|(C) – said that Form-7 was being used to target minority voters.
The Congress, meanwhile, has filed a police complaint in Boko-Chhaygaon against local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and officials over alleged unauthorised deletions and inclusions. As per the report, opposition parties on Friday (January 23) urged the Election Commission to ensure that no eligible voter is removed during the ongoing revision due to the “misuse” of Form-7 and demanded an extension of the February 2 deadline for disposal of claims and objections.
Responding to the controversy, the state election department issued a public advisory clarifying that the submission of Form-7 does not automatically result in deletion of a voter’s name.
As reported by The Times of India, the department stated that every objection must go through a defined legal process, including field verification and issuing notice to the concerned elector, who would be given an opportunity to be heard.
“No name can be deleted from the electoral roll without following the prescribed legal procedure. Electors are advised not to be apprehensive and to cooperate with verification officials when contacted,” the advisory said.
“Any elector whose name is proposed to be deleted will be duly informed and given full opportunity to present their case,” it added.
The advisory further warned that providing false information or knowingly retaining incorrect entries while submitting Forms 6, 7 or 8 constitutes an offence punishable under law, including Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The revision exercise ‘aims to ensure a clean, accurate and inclusive electoral roll, and no elector should feel apprehensive’, the department said, adding that statutory remedies are available under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 for anyone aggrieved by inclusion, exclusion or correction of entries. Applications of all objections are to be disposed of by February 2, with final electoral rolls scheduled to be published on February 10.
Several political leaders, however, have argued that the timeline is unrealistic. Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev, in a letter written on Friday to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, described the SR exercise as “not only hurried but extremely haphazard”.
Raising concerns over the scale of objections, Dev wrote that “huge amounts of objections” had been filed under Form 7 to delete names from the rolls.
“These Form 7 objections for deletion of names have been filed by persons in bulk, and in most cases, the complainant, who is named in the form, is either untraceable or has denied filing these forms,” her letter said.
She also warned of serious consequences for voters if the process was rushed.
“To serve each and everyone a notice and hold a hearing within 11 days is an impossible task which is bound to deprive genuine voters from an effective hearing and consequences will be loss of their democratic rights to vote. There is a state of panic, distress and anger amongst the genuine voter.”
Among her demands was an extension of the deadline for hearings and disposal by at least seven days to ensure a fair opportunity for voters to defend their right to vote.
Earlier, Assam’s leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia had also written to the Chief Election Commissioner, alleging “serious irregularities” in the draft electoral rolls published after the SR, according to The Hindu.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, however, dismissed the allegations and insisted that there was no controversy surrounding the SR.
Quoted by The Times of India, Sarma defended the process, saying notices were being served only to “miya” Muslims – Muslims of Bengali origin living in lower Assam – and not to indigenous communities.
“There is no debate over SR. Which Hindu family has received a notice? Which Assamese Muslim household has seen a notice?” he said.
“We have to issue notices to miyas living here. There is nothing to hide. I am troubling them.”
Sarma further described the notices as part of a broader strategy to keep alleged “illegal immigrants” under pressure.
“They have to understand that at some level, people of Assam are resisting them. Otherwise, they will get a walkover. That’s why some will get notices during SR, some for eviction, some from border police (relating to citizenship). We will do some utpaat, but within the ambit of law…we are with the poor and downtrodden, but not those who want to destroy our jati,” he said.
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