The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday imposed a ceiling on the number of Form 7 applications that an individual elector can submit, limiting them to 10 during the entire claims-and-objections period and five per month during continuous updation of electoral rolls, amid growing concerns over alleged attempts to delete voters' names through bulk objections.
In instructions issued to chief electoral officers of all states and Union territories, the Commission said the restrictions would apply to both online and offline applications. The decision follows complaints that large numbers of objections were being filed on unsubstantiated grounds, causing inconvenience to voters and placing an additional burden on election officials.
Form 7 is used to object to the inclusion of a person's name in the electoral roll or seek the deletion of an existing entry. Such applications can be submitted only by an elector registered in the constituency concerned.
Limits on bulk applications
The Commission observed that although its online system already restricted the number of applications that could be submitted at one time, there was no clearly defined ceiling on physical forms filed in bulk.
It said online submissions were restricted to six applications at a time, while the number of physical forms accepted had largely been left to the discretion of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).
The absence of a uniform limit had created difficulties for field officials, particularly when large numbers of objections were submitted without sufficient supporting information.
The new instructions establish a maximum of 10 Form 7 applications per elector throughout the claims-and-objections period. During continuous electoral roll updation, an individual will be permitted to submit no more than five applications in a month.
The Commission also referred to the existing Manual on Electoral Rolls, which discourages the acceptance of bulk claims submitted by individual applicants.
Complaints from several states
The decision comes amid allegations of misuse of Form 7 in Karnataka, Telangana and Rajasthan, where political parties have raised concerns over attempts to remove eligible voters from electoral rolls.
In Telangana, the Congress alleged on October 1 that a BJP booth-level agent in Hyderabad's Musheerabad constituency had submitted more than 30 Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of members of a single Muslim family.
Similar allegations emerged from the Bahadurpura and Goshamahal constituencies, where bulk applications were reportedly submitted using pre-filled forms that did not contain the applicants' details.
The allegations have intensified concerns about whether the objection mechanism could be used to target particular groups of voters. However, the filing of an objection does not automatically result in the deletion of a name, and electoral officials are required to follow the prescribed verification process.
Mandatory verification and hearings
The Commission directed EROs to reject applications containing incomplete information or lacking the original signature of the person submitting the objection. It clarified that a seal cannot substitute for the applicant's signature.
Officials must verify the applicant's identity against the electoral roll and issue a notice before considering the objection. Each application must be examined separately, with the objector given an opportunity to present the grounds for seeking deletion.
Importantly, the elector whose name is challenged must also be given an opportunity to be heard before any decision is taken.
The Commission emphasised that these procedural safeguards must be followed to prevent eligible voters from being removed without proper scrutiny.
Where an objection is found to be false or fabricated, the ERO must initiate action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which provides penalties for false declarations relating to electoral rolls.
Existing SIR rules retained
The Commission clarified that the new restrictions would not alter the existing limits applicable to booth-level agents of recognised political parties during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Under the prevailing rules, such agents can submit up to 50 forms a day before publication of the draft electoral roll and 10 forms a day after its publication.
The distinction means that the newly announced ceiling applies to individual electors, while the separate framework governing recognised political parties' booth-level agents remains unchanged.
The move comes amid a wider political controversy over the revision of electoral rolls, with Opposition parties alleging that eligible voters have been targeted for deletion in several states. The Election Commission has maintained that electoral roll revisions are intended to ensure accurate voter lists and remove ineligible entries through established procedures.
The latest directions seek to strengthen safeguards against frivolous or fabricated objections while preserving the right of registered electors to challenge entries through the prescribed legal process.