Election Commission caps Form 7 applications to curb bulk objections to voter rolls

The Election Commission on Friday introduced new limits on the number of Form 7 applications an individual voter can submit. This move is aimed at preventing bulk objections to names on electoral rolls, according to Times of India report.

Form 7 is used to object to the inclusion of a person's name in the electoral roll or seek the deletion of an existing entry.

Under the revised rules, an individual elector can submit a maximum of 10 Form 7 applications during the claims and objections period of special and summary revisions of electoral rolls. During the continuous updating of voter lists, the limit has been fixed at five applications per month.


The restrictions will apply to both online and offline submissions.

The decision comes after the Congress raised concerns over large-scale Form 7 submissions in several Karnataka constituencies. In Ballari, for instance, a BJP worker allegedly filed 7,561 such applications.

In a letter to chief electoral officers across states and Union Territories, the poll panel explained that the existing system allowed an individual to submit up to six Form 7 applications online at a time, subject to their disposal. However, there was no clearly defined limit on physical submissions, leaving electoral registration officers (EROs) to decide how many forms could be accepted.

An Election Commission official told TOI that the new limits were intended to remove this ambiguity.

Under Rule 13(2) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, an objection to the inclusion of a name or a request for deletion from the electoral roll can be filed only by someone registered as a voter in the same constituency.

For the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the Commission has also permitted booth-level agents of political parties to submit Form 7 applications in bulk to booth-level officers. However, these submissions are subject to a daily limit of 50 forms before the publication of the draft electoral roll and 10 forms thereafter.

The Commission has also made it clear that applications submitted after the prescribed deadline, or those that do not follow the required procedure, will be rejected by the ERO. Officials will also have to verify whether the person filing the objection is registered as a voter in the constituency.

Even when a Form 7 application meets the prescribed requirements, it will not automatically lead to the removal of a name from the electoral roll.

The ERO must first issue a notice to the person who filed the objection, hear the applicant in person and record a separate statement for each Form 7 application. The officer must then examine the objections and satisfy himself that they are valid.

The Election Commission has also directed EROs to act against false or fabricated Form 7 applications. Those found knowingly making false statements or declarations in writing may face prosecution under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

(With TOI inputs)