Amid Form 7 bulk filing row, Election Commission limits it to 10 per elector

NEW DELHI: Election Commission Friday, to discourage bulk submissions of Form 7 (objection to inclusion of an elector in the electoral roll), capped the maximum number of these applications that may be filed by an individual elector during the claims and objections period of special and summary revisions to 10. For Form 7 applications filed by an individual elector during the period of continuous update of the electoral roll, the upper limit shall be five per month. The ceilings - which follow Congress flagging bulk filings across many constituencies in Karnataka, including Ballari where a single BJP worker allegedly submitted 7,561 Form 7 applications - will apply to filings by individual electors both in online and offline modes. In a letter to chief electoral officers of states and UTs, EC explained that while the number of applications to be filed online by an individual elector had been fixed as six at a time, subject to disposal, the number of physical forms presented in bulk had not been defined and was left to the judgement of electoral registration officers (ERO). The new limits seek to remove any scope for ambiguity, an EC officer told TOI. According to Rule 13(2) of Registration of Electors Rules (RER) 1960, every objection to the proposed inclusion of name or application for deletion of name in the electoral roll of a constituency is to be referred only by a person whose name figures in the roll of that constituency.

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For the SIR period, EC has allowed booth-level agents of political parties to submit to a booth level officer Form 7 applications in bulk, with a limit of 50 forms per day before the draft publication and 10 forms per day thereafter. The poll panel Friday said any claim or objection not lodged within the specified period or in the form and manner specified in the rules, shall be rejected by ERO, who will also verify the applicant's name in the electors' list. Once a Form 7 application is found in line with norms, the ERO shall first issue a notice to the objector, hear him personally, record his statem-ents separately for each Form 7 and satisfy himself about the validity of the objections. EC directed EROs to take action against false and fabricated Form 7s, including prosecution of the applicant under R P Act 1950 for knowingly making a false statement or declaration in writing.

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