BENGALURU: The withdrawal or preliminary rejection of bulk Form 7 applications in Belagavi, Bidar and Vijayapura has prevented election officials from initiating inquiries that could have led to penal action against objectors for filing false declarations, officials told TOI.
He added EC’s recent clarification on the number of Form 7 applications an individual could submit had provided much-needed clarity on bulk objections. Because the bulk applications were withdrawn, vijayapura DC Anandh said no notices were issued.
Deputy commissioner Mohammad Roshan said the submissions did not comply with EC protocols. In Bidar, DC Shilpa Sharma said the ERO had rejected the bulk applications at the preliminary stage. An official in the CEO’s office said ERO had the discretion to close an application or hear the case and close it.
The issue has snowballed into a controversy, with Congress govt alleging attempts to delete genuine voters from electoral rolls through bulk objections. Govt has demanded scrutiny of the applications and action against those found guilty of violations. Belagavi was the first district to report bulk applications seeking deletion of names.