Karnataka political rivals clash over Form-7 voter deletion claims

Kharge’s remarks follow a Congress delegation’s visit to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to protest the alleged misuse of Form-7, a document used to challenge voter eligibility. The minister claims BJP workers, who are not designated Booth Level Agents, have been submitting bulk, pre-printed deletion requests. He argued that the origin of these standardized forms warrants investigation, suggesting a coordinated effort to purge legitimate voters from the rolls.

The BJP has countered these accusations by demanding the withdrawal of police cases filed against their workers. State president BY Vijayendra, who led a delegation to meet Director General of Police MA Saleem, asserted that filing Form-7 is a legitimate legal mechanism for verifying electoral rolls. He accused the state government of weaponizing the police to intimidate opposition activists, vowing to organize mass protests if the legal actions against his party members are not rescinded. Meanwhile, the Karnataka CEO has ordered officials to pursue legal action against anyone found knowingly submitting false claims in these applications, as investigations into the alleged irregularities continue across the state.