Karnataka sees surge of Form-7 objections seeking voter deletions, largely targeting Muslim electors, across Congress and BJP strongholds

More than 4,000 applications seeking deletion of names from electoral rolls have been filed across several Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, with a large share targeting Muslim voters, according to the statutory Form-10 report that consolidates Form-7 objections. A wave of bulk submissions in the final days before the objection window closed on September 23 has prompted scrutiny by election officials and raised concerns about coordinated attempts to remove eligible voters.

What is being contested

Form-7 is used by electors to object to entries on the voter list, including on grounds such as an individual being absent or having permanently shifted. While routine objections and self-deletions typically trickle in throughout the claims and objections period, officials noted that mass filings—often by a handful of objectors targeting numerous voters at multiple polling stations—spiked on September 22 and 23, the last two days before the deadline.

Bulk filings concentrated in key constituencies

Babaleshwar in Vijayapura district saw one of the largest spikes. On September 22 alone, authorities received 1,373 Form-7 applications, of which 1,363 came from just 10 individuals. The objections were largely aimed at Muslim voters and, in many cases, targeted electors outside the objectors’ own polling stations. Babaleshwar is represented by Congress Minister M.B. Patil.

Between September 22 and 23, an elector named Huchappa Ganiger filed 493 Form-7 applications in Babaleshwar, spanning about 30 polling stations. Of these, 423 were submitted on September 22, a day before the deadline, and 70 more followed on September 23. Another elector, Govindaraj Mundur, lodged 413 objections across 33 polling stations on the same day. Several other individuals also appeared to have filed multiple objections during this period.

A similar pattern is evident in Bhalki, Bidar district—represented by Minister Eshwar Khandre—where at least 30 people filed objections collectively seeking the deletion of more than 1,700 names on September 23 alone. Data indicates that several who submitted bulk objections that day had also made multiple filings on September 22. One elector, identified as Santosh, filed 120 applications on September 23 after lodging 54 the previous day.

Targeting within BJP-held seats

Bulk filings have also been recorded in BJP-held constituencies. In Basavakalyan, an elector named Siddappa filed 32 of the 37 Form-7 applications received on a single day, all objecting to Muslim voters listed under a single polling station (Part No. 163). In Belthangady, Dakshina Kannada, an elector named Umesh Bangera submitted 21 applications, again all targeting Muslim voters from a single polling station (Part No. 47). In many of these filings, “Absent/Permanently Shifted” was cited as the reason for seeking deletions.

Pre-printed voter details raise red flags

Beyond the volume of objections, the manner in which some were prepared has triggered additional questions. In Bhalki, several applications appeared to have the names and details of targeted voters printed on the forms, while the objectors’ details were handwritten.

In one instance, multiple Form-7 applications listed “Vishnuvardhan Kote,” an elector at Booth 129, as the objector. However, when contacted by The Hindu, the person who answered said he was not Vishnuvardhan and identified himself as “Suresh.” The EPIC details cited in those applications, when cross-checked, corresponded to an elector named Vishnuvardhan. Photographs of the physical applications reviewed by The Hindu showed that only the objector’s details were handwritten, while the names of the voters whose deletions were being sought appeared to be pre-printed. A similar pattern was observed in applications filed under the name “Santosh Eshwar,” who has reportedly submitted more than 170 Form-7 objections.

However, when the physical applications were compared against the downloadable Form-10 data, Vishnuvardhan’s name did not appear among those listed as having filed objections, even as Santosh’s name did. Officials in Bidar said that many objections had been filed offline and may not yet have been digitised, potentially explaining discrepancies between physical records and the online data.

Sudden surge before deadline

Officials noted that, prior to September 22, objections claiming voters had permanently shifted were relatively few in number—typically two or three per polling station—and commonly comprised requests by electors seeking to delete their own names after moving. The sudden flood of bulk applications on September 22 and 23 marks a sharp departure from that pattern and coincides with the close of the objections window on September 23.

Officials promise scrutiny and warn of penalties

Election officials in Bidar and Vijayapura said that every objection would be carefully scrutinised before any action is taken to ensure that no eligible voter is wrongly deleted. They added that individuals filing bulk objections had been cautioned that submitting claims without valid grounds could attract punishment under the law.

Why it matters

The breadth of the filings—with more than 4,000 objections lodged across constituencies represented by both the Congress and the BJP—combined with indications of mass targeting of Muslim voters and the use of partially pre-filled forms, has heightened scrutiny of the process. While officials stress that no deletions will occur without due verification, the episode has intensified concerns about the potential misuse of Form-7 to disenfranchise eligible voters, especially when bulk objections are concentrated in specific communities and polling parts.

What comes next

With the objection period closed, electoral registration officers are expected to verify the claims made in each Form-7 application—particularly those marked “Absent/Permanently Shifted”—through field checks and document review as required by procedure. Officials say that only after due process will any deletions be effected. Meanwhile, discrepancies between offline and online records are slated to be reconciled as pending applications are digitised.

As scrutiny proceeds, the handling of these bulk objections—and the safeguards applied to protect the rights of eligible voters—will remain in focus in the affected constituencies.