Telangana CEO Orders Action Against False Bulk Form 7 Applications During SIR

Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C Sudarshan Reddy has directed officials across the state to take appropriate action against individuals allegedly submitting bulk and false Form 7 applications to remove eligible voters from electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

In a memorandum issued on Monday, the CEO asked the Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, District Education Officers, collectors and other electoral officials to act against applicants who knowingly make false statements or declarations in electoral forms.

The order follows reports of multiple instances of bulk Form 7 applications being submitted before Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). Form 7 is used to seek deletion of names from electoral rolls. The CEO’s office said it had received information suggesting that some of the applications submitted in bulk were not genuine.

The memorandum directed officials to initiate action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, against those found responsible for knowingly making false declarations in Forms 6, 6A, 7 and 8. Such action, however, would be preceded by an inquiry under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

The directive comes amid allegations of misuse of Form 7 during the ongoing electoral roll revision exercise. The first reported case in Hyderabad emerged on October 1 from Musheerabad constituency, where pre-printed Form 7 applications were allegedly submitted seeking deletion of 31 voters. The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) claimed that a BJP booth-level agent was involved and that the applications included the names of a Congress booth-level agent and his family members.

Similar cases were subsequently reported from Bahadurpura and Goshamahal constituencies. In Goshamahal, a booth-level officer allegedly refused to accept bulk, pre-printed applications.

The TPCC has also approached the Hyderabad Police seeking registration of FIRs over the alleged misuse of Form 7.

The CEO’s directive seeks to strengthen scrutiny of voter-deletion requests and ensure that electoral rolls are not altered through false or unauthorised applications during the SIR process.