Over 1.28 lakh Form-7s filed just before SIR in Karnataka; 45,878 by third parties

In at least 28 Assembly constituencies, more than 1,000 Form-7 applications were filed before enumeration began. | Photo Credit: PTI

In the month just before the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls began across Karnataka, more than 1.28 lakh Form-7 applications seeking deletion of names from the rolls were filed, including 45,878 by third parties — people other than the electors concerned or election officials, The Hindu has found.

Of the 45,878 third-party applications, 2,254 were ‘bulk applications’ filed by just 112 objectors, each of whom submitted at least 11 or more Form-7 applications. Basamma from Sindhanur filed 96 applications, the highest during the pre-SIR period (84 against electors in the same polling booth). Hanamant Calavadi from Bagalkot filed 62 applications, all targeting a single polling station.

The third-party applications accounted for 35.6% of all deletion requests received between the announcement of the exercise on May 14 and the freezing of the rolls on June 16 (to establish a baseline for the revision). Of the 45,878 applications, 36,439 cited death as the reason for seeking deletion, while 6,775 mentioned “absent or permanent shifted”.