Bidar, 27 September

Several hundred Form-7 applications have been filed seeking to delete primarily Muslim voters in Bhalki Assembly constituency in Bidar district, Salar News has learnt. Rural and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar B Khandre is representing the constituency.

Under the Election Commission’s rules, anybody can file Form-7, which requests the deletion of an individual’s name from the voter rolls on grounds that the name is a duplicate entry, the person has died, or has permanently shifted elsewhere.

But Salar has learnt that more than 500 Form-7 applications have been filed across four booths - 51, 52, 53 and 54 - in Nittur (B) village of Bhalki taluk. A large number were filed at booths 52 and 53, which have a sizable Muslim electorate. Similar bulk applications were reported at polling stations 129, 107, 111, 112, 114 and 115 in Bhalki town, where over 1,000 Muslim voters face objections.

Mukhtar Bidra, a resident of Nittur (B), told Salar that locals found out about the alleged deletion drive on 21 September, and found out that they were filed by people who were not residents of the village.

Those who allegedly submitted Form-7 applications include Pramod Kumar Biradar, Pandurang Sharanappa and Chandrakant Baburao, with each allegedly submitting 50 to 100 Form-7 applications in a single day.

“When we call the mobile numbers mentioned (in the deletion forms), they are found to be from Mysuru and Bengaluru areas. There appears to be an attempt to create fake documents and deprive us of voting rights," Bidra said. 

Voters say the applications falsely claim they have "permanently shifted" or are "absent," though families have lived in the village for decades and possess Aadhaar cards, old voter IDs, ration cards and other address proof from the same village.

"I am around 70 years old. I have been casting my vote here for nearly fifty years,” said Akbar Bi, an elderly voter, her voice trembling. “No one else's votes have been deleted; why target only us Muslims? They are making us feel as though we have no rights. Please don't delete our votes”

She said that she cannot read or write, compounding her struggles. 

Mansoor Bidre, Jabbar Shaikh and Razia Bi said that all their old voter IDs, Aadhaar cards and proof of address were from the village, and asked what would happen to them now that “people who have nothing to do with us have submitted applications claiming we shifted”.

Tension prevailed on Saturday when hundreds of Muslim voters confronted election and revenue officials who had come for a Praja Seva Andolana programme at Nittur (B) Gram Panchayat office. 

Officials struggled to give satisfactory answers and later left the premises. 

Jagadishwara Biradar, district head of Nagarika Matakavalu Samiti (Citizens' Voters' Watch Committee) said that the villagers were pointing to a deeper issue of how bulk applications were accepted without seeking basic details about applicants' identity or origin. 

He added that lack of proper training for SIR officials and Booth Level Officers, coupled with absence of stringent action by the Election Commission, has created scope for irregularities. "It is the responsibility of the Election Commission to conduct a thorough investigation and make public the facts, including the alleged motive," he said.

However, Bhalki Tahsildar Mallikarjun Vaddanakeri said that there is no limit to how many Form-7 applications a person can submit. 

“We will accept every application and upload it online. After that, we will call both the objector and the voter, conduct an inquiry, and then take a decision,” he said. “If anyone submits Form-7 with false information or forged documents with malicious intention to delete a voter's name, a criminal case should be registered immediately. The law provides for arrest, imprisonment and fine. A voter's name will not be deleted immediately after Form-7 is submitted. There is no need to panic." 

Khandre, meanwhile, told Salar News that he suspects that the mobile numbers were from outside Karnataka. 

"If true, it would amount to a serious attempt to deprive eligible citizens of their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote and undermine the integrity of the electoral process," he said, and has directed the District Election Officer-cum-Bidar Deputy Commissioner to submit a report to the Election Commission.