Karnataka CM Seeks Criminal Probe into Alleged Misuse of Form 7 During SIR

Bengaluru, Oct 1: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday stepped up his attack over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, demanding a criminal investigation into the alleged misuse of Form 7 applications to delete voters' names.

Shivakumar, who staged a protest outside the office of Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukumar here along with several ministers, said he would not leave the spot until action was initiated against those allegedly responsible for manipulating the electoral rolls.

The Chief Minister alleged that pre-filled Form 7 applications containing voters' names, addresses and EPIC numbers had been circulated in several Assembly constituencies, including Vijayapura, Bhalki, Belagavi, Mysuru, Mudigere and Bengaluru.

He further alleged that BJP workers and leaders had obtained such forms in large numbers and submitted multiple applications seeking deletion of voters' names. According to Shivakumar, some individuals had filed dozens or even hundreds of applications, citing instances involving 84, 92, 241 and 423 applications.

The allegations made by the Chief Minister are yet to be independently verified by the competent electoral authorities.

Shivakumar said discrepancies involving around 45 lakh voters had been identified and alleged that the exercise was being used to target minorities, backward classes, Dalits, Scheduled Castes and tribal voters. He demanded that those responsible for submitting allegedly fraudulent applications be identified and booked, saying the issue required a formal investigation.

Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre, who joined the protest, cited Bhalki as an example and claimed that 36 people had submitted 3,244 Form 7 applications in a single day. Khandre alleged that one individual had filed 241 applications and said some voters whose names appeared in the applications subsequently approached the police, alleging that false information had been used in attempts to delete their names.

The SIR exercise in Karnataka was conducted from June 19 to August 8. The draft revision led to a substantial reduction in the number of names on the electoral rolls, while millions of voters were issued notices for verification.

The final electoral roll is expected to be published after the disposal of claims and objections.

The controversy has intensified the confrontation between the Congress government and the Election Commission over the electoral-roll revision, with the state government seeking action against those allegedly involved in the manipulation of voter records.