Mass Form 7 submissions spark outrage in Gujarat

Allegations have surfaced in Gujarat of mass submissions of Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of names from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Opposition parties, including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), claim that ruling party leaders orchestrated the exercise, targeting Opposition and minority strongholds. They allege that many of the mobile numbers listed on the forms did not belong to the objectors, and the applications were pre-typed with names already entered. The BJP, however, denies these allegations, asserting that the SIR process was transparent and neither the party nor the government had any role in submitting deletion applications. The Election Commission of India has stated that any registered voter can submit a Form 7 objection. However, there is no limit on the number of objections a person can file, and submission of more than five applications by a single individual requires mandatory scrutiny to prevent misuse.