Invisible actors: On bulk applications, voter name deletion
Allegations of fraudulent bulk deletions of voter names have emerged in several Indian states, prompting concerns about the integrity of electoral rolls. The Election Commission of India has introduced mandatory reviews for high-volume objection filings to prevent the misuse of Form 7.
Why it matters
The integrity of electoral rolls is fundamental to democratic processes, and systemic manipulation poses a direct threat to fair elections.
The Election Commission of India (ECI)’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has seen allegations of bulk filing of applications seeking to delete voters’ names from draft lists using Form 7 in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and, more recently Uttarakhand. Ground reports by The Hindu from Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat noted that these forms were often filed in bulk fraudulently using names of people who were unaware of the filing. In several instances, hundreds of objections were filed under a single person’s name. Form 7 is filed to object to an existing name — or to request its deletion — on the electoral rolls for reasons such as death, shifting, or ineligibility. The ECI’s Booth Level Officer or the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) has to conduct an inquiry on the application and issue a notice to the voter before taking any action.
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