Karnataka Form 7 Mass Deletion Scam: 91,000+ Voter Objections Filed
Karnataka has witnessed a large-scale voter deletion scam involving 91,278 Form 7 objections filed between June 16 and October 4, predominantly targeting legitimate Muslim voters. Form 7 is a statutory document used to raise objections to voter registration or seek deletions. Multiple first information reports have been registered against those who filed these objections, but key questions about coordination remain unanswered.
The bulk filings have triggered widespread concerns across the state. In Bhalki, Bidar district, an FIR was lodged against 32 individuals for submitting objections against 3,244 voters. In Babaleshwar, Vijayapura district, eight individuals submitted 1,577 objections within two days in September. Similar cases have been registered in Belagavi against BJP leader Ravi Patil for submitting Form 7 against 198 Muslim voters, as well as in Jayanagar, Malleswaram, Kodagu district, and Mysuru against BJP workers. The Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukumar noted that ECI guidelines permit a party's Booth Level Agent to submit 50 Form 7s daily, but many instances appear to have exceeded this limit. A case in point involves Syed Hasrath Ulla, a four-time corporator in Mysuru, whose name and those of 10 family members were targeted with Form 7 objections despite his long residence and active political presence in his neighborhood.
