Stories
Form 7 Controversy: Can Names Be Removed From Voter List? Congress-BJP Clash Over SIR Process!
N
News18•04-10-2026, 20:33
Form 7 Controversy: Can Names Be Removed From Voter List? Congress-BJP Clash Over SIR Process!
- •The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of the electoral roll in Karnataka has sparked a major controversy.
- •The Congress government has declared war against the Election Commission's SIR process, alleging misuse of Form 7.
- •Congress claims BJP workers mass-submitted Form 7s to target minority, Dalit, and OBC voters.
- •Form 7 is an application used to object to the inclusion or request the deletion of a name from the electoral roll.
- •The Supreme Court has upheld the legality of the SIR process, but its implementation in Karnataka faces strong opposition.
Key Questions Answered
The SIR process is a comprehensive electoral roll revision led by the Election Commission involving house-to-house verification, linking to past lists, and removing deceased, permanently migrated, or ineligible individuals. Its purpose is to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out while cleaning up inaccurate entries.
The Congress government alleged that BJP workers misused Form 7 to mass-delete minority, Dalit, and OBC voters, calling it vote theft. Conversely, the BJP defended Form 7 submissions as a legal right used to weed out ineligible individuals and accused the CM of political pressure.
The final voter list for Karnataka under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is scheduled to be published on October 27, 2026.
