Congress flags alleged misuse of Form-7, seeks ECI intervention

New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging the systematic misuse of Form-7 across several States to disenfranchise voters during the ongoing electoral roll revision.

The party claimed that Form-7—meant for specific objections such as voter deaths or duplicate entries—was being misused for bulk and speculative deletions. This, it said, violated the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, which placed the burden of proof on the objector and provided penalties for false claims under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

In a letter to the ECI, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal expressed concern over the mass filing of objections seeking the deletion of voters’ names during the claims and objections phase of the Special Intensive Revision being conducted in 12 States. The Congress warned that such practices, if left unchecked, could distort the electoral process and undermine democratic participation, particularly ahead of key state elections.

The letter cited reports from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala, pointing to a “disturbing uniformity” in the pattern of objections. These allegedly included pre-printed and bulk Form-7 applications, mass objections targeting specific voter groups, and submissions lacking mandatory details such as valid mobile numbers or Electoral Photo Identity Card information. In several cases, individuals named as objectors have publicly denied filing any such applications.