Karnataka CM Shivakumar stages dharna at ECI office, seeks FIR over bulk Form 7 filings

Bengaluru: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday staged a dharna outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) office in Bengaluru along with his Cabinet colleagues, accusing the BJP of filing Form 7 applications in bulk to seek deletion of voters from Karnataka’s electoral rolls.

Shivakumar demanded registration of an FIR and a time-bound, state-wide probe into the alleged misuse of Form 7 during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He met Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar and submitted a letter demanding immediate action and a probe into specific cases flagged.

The CM and ministers stayed at the CEO’s office for a long time, putting off a Cabinet meeting scheduled for the afternoon.


“As the Chief Minister of Karnataka, it is my bounden duty to protect the right of every eligible voter and ensure that the SIR process is free, fair, transparent and legally compliant,” Shivakumar said.

The CM said about 6,259 Form 7 applications in Mudigere, about 3,000 in Belagavi North, 2,285 in Bhalki, 1,373 in Babaleshwar and 1,200 in Narasimharaja had been filed, pointing out that large number of such forms had been reported on September 22, 23 and 24.

Shivakumar alleged that a substantial number of voters targeted for deletion belonged to minority communities, SCs, STs and OBCs. He also flagged cases where voter names and EPIC numbers were pre-printed on Form 7 applications, raising questions about the source and possible misuse of electoral data.

The CM had earlier alleged that pre-printed forms were being circulated and claimed that about 50 lakh such forms had been printed. Home Minister Priyank Kharge also alleged that Form 7 applications carrying voter details were being supplied in bulk.

Shivakumar has sought an inquiry into individuals filing unusually large numbers of objections, their relationship with the voters concerned, applications returned by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and any political coordination or facilitation behind the filings.

He asked the ECI to examine FIRs and available video evidence and register cases if wrongdoing is established. “No eligible voter should be deprived of their right to remain on the electoral roll.”