TELANGANA: BJP Booth Agent Faces FIR Over Attempt to Delete 30 Muslim Voters Using Form 7
HYDERABAD: Police have registered an FIR against a BJP booth-level agent accused of attempting to remove 30 Muslim voters from the electoral rolls in Telangana’s Musheerabad Assembly constituency using pre-printed Form 7 applications. The case was registered on October 6 after election officials verified that all 30 voters were living at the addresses recorded in the electoral roll.
The development has intensified scrutiny of the ongoing electoral-roll revision in Telangana, where concerns over voter deletions have already triggered a wider political dispute. The latest case is also being examined alongside earlier questions over the Election Commission’s handling of voter-roll changes, including the electoral-roll dispute involving senior poll officials.
BJP Booth Agent Named In Hyderabad FIR
The accused has been identified as S. Balachander, a BJP Booth Level Agent in Musheerabad. According to the FIR, he brought 30 digitally pre-printed Form 7 applications to Polling Station No. 210 on September 28 and sought deletion of the voters named in the documents.
The Booth Level Officer and supervisor reportedly refused to accept the bulk submission. The forms were subsequently left at the polling station, according to the complaint.
The BJP Booth Agent has been booked under Sections 217 and 318(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Telangana Voter Deletion Allegations Under Investigation
Election officials conducted field verification on October 1. They found all 30 people named in the applications residing at the addresses recorded in the electoral roll.
The Telangana Voter Deletion case therefore concerns an alleged attempt to initiate deletions that officials determined could not be supported by the verification conducted at the voters’ addresses.
According to The Indian Express, all 30 voters named in the applications were Muslims, and one was a Congress booth-level agent. The report also said similar pre-printed Form 7 applications had been reported from other Hyderabad constituencies.
Form 7 is used for objections to an electoral-roll entry or requests to delete a name for specified reasons. The Election Commission’s prescribed procedure requires declarations to be truthful, with false statements punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act.
Form 7 Controversy Spreads Across Hyderabad
The Form 7 Controversy has become a wider political issue during Telangana’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Similar allegations have emerged from Bahadurpura and Goshamahal, although individual cases and allegations remain subject to verification.
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has alleged that Muslim voters were being targeted through the process and has sought scrutiny of Form 7 applications. The BJP has rejected allegations of a coordinated party-led voter deletion drive and called for evidence to be established through the legal process.
The Form 7 Controversy is now likely to face closer examination as election officials investigate complaints and determine whether applications were submitted with false information.
What Happens Next
Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy has directed election officials to take action against people found, after due inquiry, to have knowingly submitted false statements or declarations through electoral forms.
The Telangana Voter Deletion dispute remains under investigation. The FIR against the BJP Booth Agent is an allegation at this stage, and the registration of a criminal case does not establish guilt.
The Form 7 Controversy is likely to remain politically significant as authorities continue reviewing electoral-roll complaints before the finalisation of the revised voter list.
