Rahul Gandhi linked the Karnataka allegations to his broader “vote theft” charge, while police investigations are already under way into alleged irregular Form 7 submissions in Belagavi and other districts.
BY PC Bureau
Bengaluru, October 1: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar launched a scathing attack on the Election Commission on Thursday over alleged bulk filing of Form 7 applications during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with the Congress demanding an FIR and a time-bound investigation into the alleged attempts to delete voters’ names.
Shivakumar, accompanied by state Congress leaders and Cabinet colleagues, staged a sit-in outside the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Bengaluru and submitted a memorandum to CEO V. Anbukkumar. He said he would not leave until the Commission agreed to investigate the alleged irregularities.
Gandhi, in a post on X, amplified the allegations, describing the Karnataka episode as part of a wider pattern of what he calls “vote theft” and demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Shivakumar alleged that pre-printed Form 7 applications carrying voters’ names, EPIC numbers and booth details had been supplied to BJP and allied-party workers to seek deletion of eligible electors. He said large clusters of applications were filed on September 22, 23 and 24, close to the end of the claims-and-objections period.
He cited about 3,000 applications in Belagavi North, 6,259 in Mudigere, 2,285 in Bhalki, 1,373 in Babaleshwar and 1,200 in Narasimharaja, while Congress leaders claimed that similar activity had been reported across the state.
The Congress has further alleged that more than 70% of polling booths showed such activity and that the names targeted were disproportionately those of Muslims, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs. These broader claims have not been independently established.
Gandhi put the alleged Belagavi figure at nearly 15,000 names marked for deletion and repeated his charge that Form 7 applications were being generated in bulk, including through automated means, with alleged collusion between party workers and officials.
He questioned why the CEO had not ordered an FIR and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and CEC Gyanesh Kumar of working together to “destroy democracy”. He also called for Kumar’s resignation.
⦿ A big conspiracy is underway in Karnataka. In more than 70% of the booths, we have already identified instances where various BJP leaders have been collecting Form 7 without any identification.
⦿ Pre-printed forms have been supplied by various agencies. These forms are being… pic.twitter.com/N2jTZkYuST
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) October 1, 2026
Belagavi complaints under investigation
The allegations in Belagavi have a more specific documented basis.
According to The Hindu, Booth Level Officers at six polling parts in Belagavi North — four in Veerabhadra Nagar and two at a government school in Shettigali — said two men claiming to represent the Belagavi City Corporation brought already-printed Form 7 applications seeking deletion of Muslim voters’ names.
Shivakumar said 198 applications were filed in the name of BJP worker Shashikanth Jadhav. Jadhav has denied that the signature on the applications was his. Some BJP workers in Belagavi and Vijayapura subsequently withdrew applications in writing and described the filings as mistakes.
Police have registered at least three FIRs — two in Belagavi and one in Bhalki — over alleged irregularities in bulk Form 7 submissions, with additional cases reported from Mysuru and Bidar.
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पूरा देश वोट चोरी के खिलाफ़ गुस्से में है – मगर फिर भी BJP-EC की बेशर्मी देखिए कैसे खुलेआम वही किए जा रहे हैं।
कर्नाटक के बेलगावी में एक झटके में लगभग 15 हजार वोटरों के नाम मिटाने की साजिश चल रही थी।
सिर्फ़ तीन दिनों – 22, 23 और 24 सितंबर – में इतने नाम वोटर लिस्ट से हटाने के… https://t.co/YpIfiW8nz7
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 1, 2026
What Form 7 means
A Form 7 is an application to object to the inclusion of a person’s name in the electoral roll or seek its deletion on specified grounds. Filing the form does not automatically remove a voter.
Under the Election Commission’s procedure, a deletion request must go through verification, with the affected elector entitled to notice and an opportunity to respond. Field verification is also required before deletion.
That distinction is central to the Karnataka dispute. The number of Form 7 applications filed does not establish how many eligible voters were actually removed.
Congress has repeatedly cited the 2023 Aland episode, when 6,018 online Form 7 applications were filed. The Election Commission said verification found only 24 to be genuine and 5,994 incorrect; an FIR was subsequently registered.
The immediate question in Karnataka is therefore whether the current clusters represent fraudulent or improperly filed applications that are being rejected through verification, or whether any eligible voters have actually been removed from the electoral roll.
