Published Oct 01, 2026 | 3:04 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 01, 2026 | 4:58 PM
Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rizwan Arshad and CM DK Shivakumar.
The Karnataka Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Rizwan Arshad on Thursday said he had submitted a petition to the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) seeking action against alleged bulk filing of Form 7 applications for deletion of voters during the ongoing SIR exercise.
Speaking to reporters outside the CEO’s office in Bengaluru, Arshad questioned why large numbers of Form 7 objections were being permitted after the Election Commission had undertaken door-to-door verification of voters.
“Such a massive process (SIR) has been carried out over three to four months. Despite that, Form 7 has been kept open so that anybody can come and file it against anybody, even in bulk,” Arshad said.
“One person is filing 500 forms saying that the names of 500 people should be removed. Another person is filing against 1,000 people saying that the names of 1,000 people should be removed,” he pointed out.
Arshad alleged that minority voters were being selectively targeted.
“We have seen that Form 7 is being filed targeting minorities in this state, particularly Muslims,” he stated, alleging that BJP and Sangh Parivar workers were behind such applications.
“If someone can sit anywhere and remotely file Form 7 online seeking somebody’s name deletion, is this not a violation of fundamental rights? Is voting not our right? Are we not equal citizens?” Arshad asked.
He claimed instances had surfaced in Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Belagavi and parts of Bengaluru and said around 49,000 Form 7 applications had been filed by the time the issue came to public attention.
“If the SIR has been completed, bulk Form 7 applications should not be allowed at all,” Arshad demanded.
He argued that the use of Form 7 should instead be restricted to limited circumstances.
“If someone is giving up Indian citizenship, they can seek deletion of their own name. Or if there is a death in the family, a family member can seek deletion. Any Tom, Dick and Harry should not be able to object to anybody and file hundreds of Form 7 applications,” he said.
“We have said that these should be cancelled and that no deletion should happen without verification,” Arshad added, saying the delegation he led to the CEO’s office had also sought prosecution under the Representation of the People Act of those found filing improper objections.
On the response from election officials, Arshad said, “The Election Commission has agreed that this will lead to confusion in the society. This will lead to discrimination against a few communities and this will lead to disenfranchisement.”
“We have said you have to take action. He said, ‘We are considering, we will consider’. So, action has to happen,” Arshad said.
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar backed Arshad while stating that a ‘fraud’ is being perpetrated on the nation in the name of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He also claimed that a “big conspiracy is going on in all booths in Karnataka” and that “in 70% of the constituencies, BJP leaders have been taking the printed forms without any identification”.
“It is very unfortunate to speak to you about the right to vote and the right to live. The entire country is worked up over this SIR issue. A big gang, some BJP leaders, is trying to delete your names through this SIR process,” Shivakumar said.
“Form 7 has been used. Already, more than 45 lakh voters have disappeared from this list…,” he alleged.
“Form 7 was being submitted in bulk to target voters, particularly those belonging to minority, backward-class, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities,” he charged, while saying that he had sought a response from the police, “deputy commissioners and the state election officer”.
Shivakumar had also alleged ‘vote theft’ on September 26.
“The Election Commission is a puppet of the BJP. Names of poor voters and those who criticise the administration are being targeted. They have become partners in vote theft along with the BJP,” he had said.
Form 7 is used to seek deletion of a name or object to the inclusion of a name in the electoral roll on grounds including death, being underage, permanent shifting, duplicate enrolment or non-citizenship.
Addressing the media on concerns over the misuse of Form 7 objections, the transparency of the process and the protection of genuine voters.
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https://t.co/dacCrufw1f
— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) October 1, 2026
The Chief Minister has also written to the Karnataka CEO seeking an immediate, thorough and time-bound investigation, the registration of an FIR “without delay”, and appropriate criminal action against those found responsible.
In the letter, Shivakumar cited reports of approximately 6,259 Form 7 applications in Mudigere, 3,000 in Belagavi North, 2,285 in Bhalki, 1,373 in Babaleshwar and 1,200 in Narasimharaja, saying large numbers were filed particularly on September 22, 23 and 24.
“A large number of Form 7 applications appear to have been filed in bulk within a very short period, particularly during the last few days of the prescribed period,” the Chief Minister wrote.
Shivakumar said a substantial proportion of voters proposed for deletion reportedly belonged to minority communities, SCs, STs and OBCs, and sought verification to determine whether certain voters were being selectively targeted.
He also flagged cases where voters’ names, EPIC numbers and other particulars appeared to have been pre-printed on Form 7 applications, with the objectors’ details subsequently filled in, and sought an examination of the source, access to and possible dissemination of the electoral data.
Shivakumar said some BLOs had returned bulk Form 7 applications and sought details of the constituencies and booths involved, the people who submitted them, the number of applications and the reasons for their return.
The proposed investigation, he said, should examine the constituency- and booth-wise pattern of filings, people submitting unusually large numbers of applications, their relationship with the voters concerned, whether the objections were genuine, and whether any political organisation or individual facilitated or coordinated the filings.
Also Read:
Behind Bengaluru’s SIR notices: Old rolls, shifting homes and a scramble for documents
‘India roars louder than ever’: Gyanesh Kumar SIR, please get out
Why CEC Gyanesh Kumar should resign, and why the appointment process needs to change too
(With inputs from Keerthivas. Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
