Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 12: Several Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters' names have been withdrawn or rejected during scrutiny in Mumbai and neighbouring constituencies, following the Election Commission of India's (ECI) directions to take action against those submitting false objections during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Officials said the withdrawals began after Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) instructed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to place the burden of proof on complainants and initiate criminal action against those filing false applications. The first FIR in connection with such complaints was registered in Dharavi three weeks ago.

Amit Sanap, Electoral Registration Officer for Bhiwandi East, said his office had rejected more than 450 of the 540 Form 7 applications received in the constituency. Political party Booth Level Agents (BLAs) had filed 480 of these applications. Action may be initiated against some applicants for submitting false information.

“Over 450 applications have been rejected. We found that the people against whom Form 7 applications were filed, alleging that they did not live at the given addresses, were actually residing there,” Sanap said. He added that some applicants had also withdrawn their complaints.

A senior state election official said EROs had been instructed to summon complainants and verify their claims before taking action. The official said the responsibility of proving that an elector was ineligible rested with the person filing the objection. Complainants have also been allowed to withdraw their applications.

According to the official, withdrawals began after the election machinery initiated action and the first FIR was registered in Dharavi.

With the current phase of the SIR scheduled to conclude on Friday, the ECI has received more than 2.3 million forms for additions, deletions and corrections in Maharashtra, including over 95,000 Form 7 applications seeking voter deletions.

Form 7 has faced controversy in several states where the SIR was conducted earlier, amid allegations that political party BLAs misused the provision to target voters believed to support rival parties.

In October, the ECI capped the number of Form 7 applications an individual could submit at 10, citing concerns that bulk objections based on unsubstantiated grounds were inconveniencing voters and overburdening field staff. Following the communication, the Maharashtra CEO instructed EROs last month to summon objectors and thoroughly verify their claims before acting on them.

Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh, who represents Bhiwandi East, said the constituency had 3.76 lakh electors before the SIR began. The draft electoral roll now has 1.84 lakh electors, with 23,000 names deleted on grounds of duplication and death. Another 42,430 electors have been flagged for discrepancies or remain unmapped with their 2002 SIR records.

Shaikh alleged that agents of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had filed bulk objections to suppress minority voter turnout and were now withdrawing them in the face of possible police action. He also referred to a rule change in November 2025 that allowed BLAs to file objections against any voter in the constituency rather than being restricted to a single polling station.

Congress BLA Avantika Lekurwale from Kamathi constituency in Vidarbha said large-scale Form 7 filings could be prevented where opposition party agents remained alert. She alleged that voter deletions generally took place just before general elections.

However, BJP's Atul Deulgaonkar, who is overseeing the SIR process for the party, rejected the allegations made by the SP and Congress. He said anyone with credible information about an incorrect voter registration had the right to file Form 7, while the authorised government officer was responsible for determining whether the complaint was valid.