Allegations of pressure to remove Muslim voters' names in Karnataka
Some individuals claim they were listed as objectors despite not applying to remove any voter's name.
A large number of Form-7 applications demanding the removal of Muslim voters' names from the electoral rolls have surfaced in the Belagavi North Assembly constituency of Karnataka. Several booth-level officers, or BLOs, have alleged that they were pressured to sign these forms. Meanwhile, some individuals have stated that they were named as objectors in the applications, even though they had not applied for the removal of any voter's name.
The Hindu reported that such applications were brought to at least six polling stations. These included four polling stations in Veerabhadra Nagar and two centers at the government Kannada higher primary school in Shettigalli. Form-7 is used to request the removal of an individual's name from the electoral rolls.
Two individuals claiming to be from the Belagavi City Corporation arrived at polling stations with a large number of pre-printed Form-7s. These forms contained the names and other details of voters. However, the names of the objectors were either handwritten in some cases or left blank in others. It has been reported that the applications demanded the removal of Muslim voters' names.
Mirsaab Sanadi, a booth-level agent or BLA at the Veerabhadra Urdu Model School, stated that he was shocked to see his name in these applications. According to him, the names of his brother, relatives, and neighbors were also included in the list.
Sanadi said,
I have been a booth-level agent at polling station number 196 in the Belagavi North Assembly constituency for at least the last 15 years. But I was shocked to see at least 380 Form-7 applications in the school last week. These demanded the removal of my name, my brother's, relatives', and neighbors' names.
The BLO informed ‘The Hindu that the two individuals repeatedly asked them to sign the forms and return them immediately. According to the officials, they opposed this because they knew the voters listed in the applications. They stated that these voters had been residing in the area for many years.
It is alleged that after this, the two individuals called someone. The person on the phone identified himself as the Electoral Registration Officer, or ERO, Udaykumar Basavantappa Talwar, and instructed the BLO to sign the forms.
However, Talwar denied giving such instructions in a conversation with The Hindu. He said that someone had misused his name and that he had not asked the BLO to sign these applications.
Some BLOs reported that they signed the forms under pressure. Meanwhile, other officials attempted to contact their supervisors and assistant electoral registration officers, but were unable to reach them.
Congress worker Aman Sait stated that when questioned, both individuals initially claimed to be associated with the city corporation. Later, they asserted that they were related to Dr. Ravi Patil Hospital. According to Sait, some individuals listed as objectors on the forms were contacted. These individuals confirmed that their names and phone numbers were written on the applications. However, they clarified that they had not submitted these applications to remove anyone's name from the electoral rolls. Sait reported that after the matter was immediately brought to the attention of the authorities, one set of applications was retrieved. However, similar actions could not be taken at other polling stations.
In one case, multiple Form-7 applications were filed under the name Shashikant Jadhav. When contacted, Jadhav confirmed that the voter identification card, or EPIC, information and phone number listed on the forms were his. However, he stated that he had not filled out these applications.
The report also mentioned that a large number of applications for the removal of Muslim voters' names had been filed in Bhalki. Despite the deadline for filing claims and objections ending on September 23, applications continued to be submitted.
According to the statutory Form-10 report, a total of 1,131 applications were received between September 24 and 29. Of these, 1,123 applications were categorized as bulk-filed applications. Applications submitted after the stipulated period will be considered only after the final electoral roll is published. The final list is set to be published on October 27.