Asaduddin Owaisi, president of AIMIM and Hyderabad MP, wrote to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharsan Reddy on Oct 6, claiming that Form 7 applications are being employed to delete Muslim voters from the draft electoral rolls in the Goshamahal Assembly constituency.
According to the letter, polling station number 28 saw Thudumu Janardhan file 122 Form 7 requests. Each form listed pre‑printed names of voters slated for deletion, while the applicant section bore Janardhan’s own name and contact number. Owaisi said an inquiry revealed Janardhan to be a sympathiser of the BJP, suggesting a deliberate effort to target Muslims.
At polling station number 173, about 30 additional Form 7 applications were submitted to the Booth Level Officer. Those forms omitted the applicant’s details but again carried pre‑printed names of voters, all of whom are Muslims. The MP praised both Booth Level Officers for refusing to accept the fraudulent forms and urged the CEO to invoke Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 against the perpetrators.
Owaisi highlighted that every one of the 122 names appears in the 2022, 2026 and the newly released draft rolls. Several of the listed voters have already received notices for anomalies and have attended hearings. He questioned the motive behind filing the forms, asking, “All 122 voters are Muslims. Who is filing Form 7 applications? Why this hatred against Muslims?”
The AIMIM headquarters in Darussalam runs a help desk for voters of all communities in Goshamahal. Owaisi said the attempted deletions were thwarted thanks to the integrity of the Booth Level Officers and the vigilance of Booth Level Agents, but warned that similar misuse could be occurring elsewhere in Telangana.
Calling for decisive action, the MP demanded that the Election Commission of India investigate and penalise anyone using false Form 7 filings to target a particular community. He also reiterated his opposition to the current process of selecting the Chief Election Commissioner, urging a return to the earlier panel‑based system involving the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Chief Justice of India. Owaisi clarified that he did not join the INDIA bloc MPs marching to the ECI office in Delhi, as he is not part of that alliance.
Image: Wikipedia — Asaduddin Owaisi
📰 Source: Daijiworld