More than 28,870 Form-7 petitions were filed during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision in Telangana. Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy directed officials to act against applicants who knowingly gave false statements. Authorities said bulk applications will undergo strict verification to ensure only genuine requests for voter deletion are processed.
HYDERABAD: On a day Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy directed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across Telangana to act against applicants found to have knowingly furnished false statements or declarations in electoral roll applications, data showed that more than 28,870 Form-7 applications had been filed during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Form 7 is used to object to the proposed inclusion of a name or seek deletion of an existing entry from the electoral roll. Hyderabad district accounts for around 5,400 applications, followed by Jayashankar Bhupalpally with 3,145, Sangareddy 3,095, Siddipet 2,633, Nizamabad 1,492, Nirmal 1,339, Rangareddy 1,305 and Medchal-Malkajgiri 1,198.
Certain political parties are learnt to have sought deletion of voters through their designated Booth Level Agents (BLAs) using Form 7 during the SIR exercise. Applicants are required to specify the reason for seeking an objection or deletion, such as the person not residing at the given address, being deceased or having permanently migrated.
ECI sources said Form-7 applications filed in bulk, including those submitted through political parties, would be subjected to inquiry and verification before any action is taken. Particular care is being taken while processing bulk Form-7 applications.
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CEO orders action against false Form 7 statements
All claims and objections received during the revision will be uploaded on the Chief Electoral Officer's website, enabling citizens to examine the lists and file objections, if any, the sources said.
In a memo issued on Monday, Sudharshan Reddy directed the GHMC commissioner and district electoral officer, Hyderabad, and all collectors and DEOs in the state to instruct EROs to initiate action against applicants who knowingly make false statements or declarations in Forms 6, 6A, 7 and 8. The CEO said the office had received reports of bulk filing of Form-7 applications before EROs, with allegations that some of them were not genuine.
Action against applicants found to have knowingly furnished false information will be taken under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Before initiating proceedings, however, EROs have been instructed to conduct an inquiry as prescribed under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The CEO also said 4,44,759 applications had been submitted in Form 6 for fresh enrolment. During the SIR, applicants are required to submit a declaration along with Form 6, while the declaration will not be required during the non-SIR period.
Hyderabad accounts for the highest number of Form-6 applications at 1,83,556, followed by Rangareddy with 70,674 and Medchal-Malkajgiri with 64,210.
A total of 2,90,486 electors have submitted Form 8 applications.