Maximum Form 7 applications seeking deletion of names have been filed in Thane
Pune: Civil rights activists on Tuesday demanded minute scrutiny of all 25,661 Form 7 applications submitted between Aug 31 and Oct 11 seeking deletion of names from the draft electoral roll.
Under ECI instructions, electoral registration officers must examine objections under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Only a person whose name is on the electoral roll of the constituency concerned can file a Form 7 objection.
R Rao, closely following the claims-and-objections phase of the SIR (special intensive revision) exercise in all states, said details of assembly-wise and even polling booth-wise data should be shared. The assembly constituency-wise applications should be put up on the chief electoral officer’s website or shared on social media,” he said. “So, the figures do not establish if voters in any particular constituency were disproportionately targeted,” Rao said.
“Micro details bring transparency. The district-wise data available with the state election office does not provide a constituency-wise breakdown of applications. Officials must verify details and genuineness of applications. Action can be initiated against false or fabricated objections.
The demand for a thorough check of applications seeking deletion of voters’ names followed Election Commission of India (ECI)’s cap on Form 7 submissions at 10 per individual during the claims-and-objections period, covering both online and physical applications.
Activist Ulka Mahajan raised concerns about field-level verification and said every application should be double-checked. “Applications for deletions have to be thoroughly checked in the wake of mass deletion cases in other states,” she told TOI . Activists said the numerical cap alone would not protect genuine voters and demanded verification of every objection before a name was deleted.
She pointed to instances of booth-level officers not reaching voters’ homes as expected. They also sought an assembly constituency-wise breakup to establish where the applications originated.