Mass Form 7 submissions spark outrage in Gujarat

Mass Form 7 submissions in Gujarat prompt voter outrage over alleged misuse of personal information and forged signatures.

Allegations have emerged in Gujarat of mass submissions of Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of names from electoral rolls. Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercice, several voters have claimed that their names, phone, and Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers were misused, and signatures forged to file false claims. In some cases, voters alleged they were asked to sign hundreds of Form 7 applications and were told the forms were for inclusion of names, not deletion.

Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), have alleged that leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party orchestrated the exercise, targeting Opposition and minority strongholds through the mass submission of pre-typed forms. They claim that while the objectors’ names and signatures appeared handwritten, the applications were filed in bulk, potentially leading to the deletion of lakhs of names across the State.

They further alleged that many of the mobile numbers listed on the forms did not belong to the objectors, and the numbers belonged to unrelated people, mostly from other States. The BJP, however, denied the allegations, asserting that the SIR exercise was a transparent process and that neither the party nor the government had any role in filing the applications.

According to the Election Commission of India, any registered voter in a constituency may submit a Form 7 objection. While there is no limit on the number of objections a person can file, submission of more than five applications by a single individual requires mandatory scrutiny by the Electoral Registration Officer to prevent misuse.

When The Hindu contacted some objectors in Devbhoomi Dwarka, Rajkot, and Ahmedabad districts after accessing Form 7 applications submitted to BLOs in their names seeking deletion, they said they had never authorised any deletions and were unaware of such forms. However, the applications carried their names, EPIC numbers, contact details, and signatures.

One such application was submitted in the name of Maitra Maheshbhai from Rajkot South, objecting to the inclusion of Ranajisinh Bhatti’s name. While Mr. Maitra’s details were handwritten, Mr. Bhatti’s particulars were pre-printed on the form. When contacted, Mr. Maitra, an electrician, said he had never submitted any Form 7. “No, I am not aware of any such form, and I did not submit any,” he said. When asked whether he was associated with any political party, he replied that he was linked to the BJP.