After controversy, ECI caps number of Form 7 applications by individuals - what happened and what it means
The ECI has capped individual Form 7 applications at 10 during electoral roll revision and five per month during routine updates to curb bulk objections. The directive follows concerns over misuse, inconvenience to voters, and officials’ workload.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has imposed new restrictions on the number of Form 7 applications that individuals can submit to challenge proposed additions or seek the removal of entries on electoral rolls. This move aims to curb the misuse of the form, which has been used in instances where electors have filed bulk objections on unsubstantiated grounds, causing inconvenience to genuine voters and creating administrative burdens for election staff.
The directive, issued by the ECI to chief electoral officers (CEOs) across all states and Union Territories, comes in the wake of a controversy involving a BJP leader in Karnataka who filed Form 7 applications for several hundred people, allegedly to delete the names of Muslim voters. Under the new guidelines, individuals are now limited to submitting a maximum of 10 Form 7 applications during the claims-and-objections period, and 5 per month during continuous updation.
The ECI emphasized that each form must include complete details and the objector’s original signature, and that the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) must verify the applicant’s identity and conduct a hearing before deciding on the objection.
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