Karnataka CM DK Shivakumar Alleges BJP-JD(S) Plot to Delete Voters
Shivakumar wrote to the chief electoral officer seeking investigation into Form 7 filings.
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday called for a criminal investigation into what he alleged was a coordinated attempt to remove voters from the electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Shivakumar accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers of submitting multiple Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters, particularly from minority, Dalit and Scheduled Tribe communities. He said applications had been submitted seeking the deletion of around 4.5 million voters and alleged that the exercise involved organised attempts to remove eligible names from the rolls.
Shivakumar said around 14,000 Form 7 applications had been filed in Vijayapura alone and alleged that a large number of applications were submitted between September 22 and 24. He claimed that some individuals had filed multiple applications in different names and that BJP workers were among those submitting applications on behalf of others. According to the chief minister, several Form 7 applications appeared to contain pre-printed names, Electors Photo Identity Card numbers and other details of voters whose deletion was being sought, with the particulars of the objectors added later.
Shivakumar said cases had been registered in Belagavi, Bhalki, Mysuru and other parts of Karnataka over alleged attempts to remove voters illegally. He cited a case in Mysuru's Narasimharaja constituency involving social worker and former Mysuru City Corporation member Syed Hasarathulla, whose name and those of family members were challenged through Form 7 applications. In Bhalki, businessman and municipal council member Mohd Ateeq Ahmed filed a complaint after 3,244 applications were submitted between September 21 and 23, while in Belagavi North, a Congress booth-level agent alleged that applications were filed to remove Muslim voters from the electoral roll.
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In a letter to the state's Chief Electoral Officer, Shivakumar said no eligible citizen should be deprived of the right to remain on the electoral roll because of religion, caste, community or social background. He also referred to what he described as public statements by BJP leaders acknowledging that Form 7 applications had been filed in large numbers through their associates. Shivakumar urged Congress booth-level agents, legislators, party workers and voters to provide information about applications allegedly filed to remove their own names or those of other voters. He also called for the material to be examined as part of an investigation.
The chief minister alleged that the issue indicated a wider conspiracy involving the BJP and its ally Janata Dal (Secular), claiming that five to six million voters could be targeted for deletion. He said the Election Commission should initiate criminal proceedings wherever electoral offences were established and maintained that the responsibility for protecting eligible voters lay with election authorities. Shivakumar also asked officials and political representatives to verify suspicious Form 7 applications and report irregularities during the SIR process. Form 7 is the prescribed mechanism for seeking deletion of a name from the electoral roll on specified grounds, with individual applications subject to verification under the electoral-roll process.
The allegations come amid wider scrutiny of the SIR exercise and reports of bulk Form 7 applications in constituencies including Bhalki, Vijayapura and Belagavi. A recent report cited cases involving pre-printed voter details on deletion forms, while the Election Commission process remains subject to claims, objections and verification. There was no immediate response from the Chief Electoral Officer to the Hindustan Times request for comment on Shivakumar's allegations. The chief minister has called for a detailed inquiry and urged voters and booth-level representatives to report suspected attempts to remove eligible names from the electoral rolls.
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