Ranchi: Voter disenfranchisement threatens to spread to more states as Booth-level agents (BLAs) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) submit Form 7 applications in bulk, seeking to delete Muslim voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Jharkhand.
The BLAs submitted the forms to the respective booth-level officers (BLOs), but a face-off took place when the agents sought the BLOs’ signatures on the receiving documents.
Following reports of misuse of Form 7 submissions in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Odisha, Jharkhand has now come under the scanner as an Indian Express investigation unveiled that BJP’s BLAs themselves confessed to filing forms en masse targeting voters from the Muslim community.
The Election Commission of India has clarified that a voter and a BLA can submit several Form 7s; however, if an individual submits more than five objections, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) is required to review the forms. Since the SIR began in 2025, Opposition parties have demanded that the ECI take concrete steps to address the misuse of Form 7, alleging it is being used as a “weapon of mass voter suppression” instead.
The report, published on Wednesday, September 2, said that Booth-Level Officers of at least four booths in Jharkhand’s Godda district have complained to higher authorities about multiple Form 7s submitted by BJP agents, with most of them in an incorrect format and against Muslim voters.
‘What if we are not considered Indian citizens?’
In the Maheshtikri booth, eight out of the 25 voters mentioned in Form 7 said they have been a resident of the village since their childhood. Many said their names were included in the Jharkhand draft electoral roll published on August 5 and that their parents and grandparents were mapped to the 2003 electoral roll.
Among those listed in the objection applications was 70-year-old Abdul Mannan Khan, who said his family has been living in the village for generations. “This is our home and we are Jharkhandi too. So how can our names be deleted?” he said.
The local BLO told Khan that his name would not be deleted, but he remains anxious as his family fears losing access to welfare programmes.
Mohammad Naushad, 50, told Indian Express that he was brought up in Maheshtikri and that his grandparents had been mapped in the 2003 electoral roll. He said he left to find work, but always made an effort to vote in Jharkhand. “What if our names are deleted and we do not get government benefits? What if we are not considered Indian citizens?” Naushad said, echoing Khan.
BLAs claim forms being sent by ex-BJP MLA
Apart from Maheshtikri, Pachua Kita, Lochni and Baghakol also recorded objections filed by the saffron party’s BLAs. According to the Express report, the BLAs confessed that the forms were coming from the BJP office. Another party agent reportedly said the forms were being sent by former BJP MLA of Godda district Amit Mandal, as suspected by the BLOs.
BJP BLA Sanjeev Kumar claimed he had submitted the forms on the party’s directions. “I was provided 25 such forms by the party. As per the party’s direction, I took the forms, in which every column was already filled, to the BLO, but she refused to sign,” Kumar told PTI.
Block Divisional Officer Sriman Marandi, serving as the ERO, confirmed he received complaints from the BLOs who alleged the BLAs were submitting Form 7s en masse without citing proper sources. He directed BLOs not to accept the forms “because we don’t know the source,” adding that the agents could have submitted the objections to him rather than submitting forms.
The BDO also noted that the forms from all four booths were predominantly against the Muslim community.
In one instance, when a booth-level officer questioned a BLA about the multiple objection applications, the agent reportedly “got confused” and burnt all the documents in front of him to remove evidence of any irregularity.
The BLOs in the constituencies have maintained that they are willing to accept the applications, as long as the forms are credible.
BJP’s cross complaint
Meanwhile, the BJP has submitted a letter to the state’s additional CEO accusing the booth nine, Maheshtikri’s BLOs of not accepting Form 7s given by its BLAs.
The party has repeatedly claimed that residents of Godda and Sahibganj include duplicate voter entries, individuals registered in two states, and voters from other states entirely.
Rashtriya Janata Dal‘s Sanjay Prasad Yadav is the current MLA of Godda assembly constituency, defeating Mandal in the 2024 elections.
Probe ordered
Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar said he has sought a report in this regard from the district election officer (DEO).
“BLAs can submit forms in bulk, and the BLOs cannot deny accepting them. However, the BLA has to submit a declaration that information provided in the form is true. We have to check if the BLA had submitted declaration or not,” Kumar told reporters here.
The Election Commission published the draft electoral rolls in Jharkhand on Wednesday after deleting over 43.61 lakh names. The state had 2.64 crore electors before the enumeration exercise began.
The EC has extended the deadline for filing claims and objections under the SIR of electoral rolls in the state to September 15, while the final publication of the revised voter list has been deferred to October 19, an official said.
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