Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has issued a stern warning of significant protests in the city, alleging widespread misuse of Form-7 during Telangana's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Speaking on Saturday, October 3, at the 57th 'Jalsa-e-Milad-un-Nabi' at Milad Maidan, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president called upon the Election Commission of India (ECI) to intervene against false claims lodged through the form.
Owaisi emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that if the submission of Form-7 applications based on false information persists, Hyderabad could witness demonstrations surpassing the scale seen at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Form-7 is a designated ECI mechanism allowing voters to object to an entry in the electoral roll or request a deletion, citing grounds such as death, permanent relocation, duplicate enrolment, underage registration, or questions regarding citizenship.
Adding to the controversy, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) lodged a formal complaint with Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy. The complaint detailed the alleged submission of pre-printed Form-7 applications targeting Congress Booth Level Agent (BLA) Shafiuddin and 30 members of his family. The party implicated Balachander (Balu), identified as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) BLA for booth number 210 in the Musheerabad Assembly Constituency, in this alleged act. Media reports further corroborate these concerns, uncovering numerous Form-7 applications with suspected false claims in Hyderabad's Bahadurpura Assembly Constituency during the SIR process.
The ECI guidelines clarify that a Form-7 objection does not automatically remove a voter's name. Upon receipt, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) thoroughly examines and verifies the claim. Crucially, the ERO must provide the individual concerned a reasonable opportunity to be heard before any deletion action. Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, governs corrections and deletions from electoral rolls, placing the burden of proof on the applicant to substantiate their reasons for objection or removal. Should legal requirements for deletion be met after due process, the entry may be removed, though Section 24 provides remedies for affected persons.
Image: Wikipedia — Asaduddin Owaisi
📰 Source: Siasat Gulf