Hyderabad: In the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, around 5,000 ‘Form 7’ applications were filed in Hyderabad. This is the highest among the districts in Telangana.
As per media reports, across the state, 28,753 ‘Form 7’ applications have been filed seeking deletion of existing electoral entries or objecting to proposed inclusions.
‘Form 7’ does not automatically delete voter name
A ‘Form 7’ objection filed against a voter does not automatically lead to deletion of the person’s name from the electoral roll. The objection has to be examined by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).
The Election Commission of India (ECI) allows voters to use ‘Form 7’ to object to the inclusion of a name in an electoral roll or seek deletion of an existing entry. The form covers several grounds, including death, permanent shifting, duplicate enrolment, under-age registration, and a person allegedly not being an Indian citizen. The ECI says an objection can be made to the concerned ERO along with relevant proof.
The filing of ‘Form 7’ itself does not establish that the allegation made against a voter is correct. It begins a process in which the election authorities examine the objection and supporting material.
ERO examines the objection
Once an objection is received, the matter comes before the ERO. The allegation and any supporting evidence can be verified before a decision is taken.
Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1950, deals with correction of entries and deletion from electoral rolls.
Before taking the specified deletion action, the ERO is required to give the person concerned a reasonable opportunity of being heard.
The ECI’s ‘Form 7’ guidelines place the onus of proof to substantiate the reason given for the objection or removal of a name on the applicant.
If, after examination and verification, the ERO concludes that the legal requirements for deletion have been met, the person’s electoral-roll entry may be deleted.
The affected person is not necessarily without a remedy. Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, provides an appeal mechanism against relevant decisions under Sections 22 and 23.
SIR hearing in Hyderabad, other districts
Meanwhile, around 92.88 lakh electors were either unmapped with the 2002 SIR or had anomalies in their enumeration forms.
Of these, nearly 55 lakh electors have already been marked for inclusion in the electoral rolls. Applications of the remaining electors are at different stages of the SIR process.
The notice phase will continue till November 5, and the final list is scheduled to be released on November 6.
However, those who want to fill ‘Form 6’ for inclusion in the voter list, ‘Form 8’ for correction of entries or shifting of residence, or ‘Form 7’ for deletion of existing electoral entries or objecting to proposed inclusions can fill them till October 7.
The ‘Form 7’ will not lead to automatic deletion. Rather, EROs will conduct an inquiry and seek a response from the electors before taking any decision during the ongoing SIR in Hyderabad.
