After the Musheerabad incident involving applications for bulk deletions became public, pre-printed Form 7 applications are still being brought to the booth level officers (BLOs), but without signatures of the applicants, during the Claims & Objections phase of the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls.
In successive cases that surfaced after Musheerabad, at Bahadurpura and Goshamahal, the pre-printed application forms were all without signatures.
In a fresh instance, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Goshamahal constituency spoke up against bulk submission of Form-7s and warned the political parties of action if BLOs are pressured into accepting such forms.
ERO Uma Prakash posted the message in a WhatsApp group created for communication with political parties, saying a particular BLA named Sai Kiran brought a total 180 application forms to the BLO and pressured the latter to take them. She mentioned that it was against the guidelines of the Election Commission of India, and asked the parties to give the list to the ERO for proper verification. If the pressure tactics continue, criminal cases will be booked, she warned.
The screenshot of the message was widely shared in social media, revealing concerted efforts still on for mass deletion of voters. In all cases, the BLAs are alleged to be representing Bharatiya Janata Party, while all the voters whose names were sought to be deleted were Muslim, revealing a clear politically divisive angle.
When reached out for her version, Ms. Prakash said BLAs were bringing forms without signature, without any documentary proof and forcing the BLOs to accept them.
“A BLO called me in an instance, and I told the agent that such forms would not be accepted. There is a whole procedure behind deletions. Merely bringing unsigned forms will not do,” she said, adding that she has so far approved only three deletions in the constituency after proper verification.
“BLO goes to the location, conducts panchanama, and confirms the death or shifting. If it is a death, he/she will ask the family to provide death certificate or in case it is not available, a signed declaration form. Without this, we will not approve even a single deletion. This is why the process is very slow,” Ms. Prakash said.
The BLA concerned, when called for his version, denied that he had ever tried for submission of Form-7s in bulk.
The bulk deletion conspiracy was revealed first at Musheerabad, when a BLA of the BJP brought 30 application forms (Form-7s), seeking deletion of voters from a single family. It turned out to be a false claim, when the BLO went for verification, prompting action against the agent by the Election authorities. After the incident came to light, several such cases were unearthed, casting doubts about the sanctity of the whole process.
Published – October 06, 2026 08:33 pm IST
