Karnataka SIR: Over 4,000 applications to delete voters, mostly Muslims, says report
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Of the 4,000 applications filed to delete voters from Karnataka’s electoral rolls during the special intensive revision, a majority targeted Muslims, The Hindu reported on Tuesday.
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The newspaper report is based on data from Form 10, which consolidates details of Form 7 applications filed to remove voters.
In two cases, The Hindu found already filled and printed Form 7s with names of voters whose deletion was being sought. Only the objectors’ names were handwritten.
In Vijayapura district’s Babaleshwar Assembly constituency, 1,373 Form 7 applications were received on September 22. Of these, 99.2%, or 1,363, were filed by just 10 persons, largely against Muslim voters in polling stations where the objectors themselves were not registered.
Similar patterns were reported in Bhalki in Bidar district, where more than 1,700 deletions were sought by 30 persons on September 23. Several of those who filed multiple objections on that day had also filed applications the previous day.
Before September 22, Form 7 applications seeking deletion on the grounds that a voter had shifted were generally limited, usually to two or three applications per polling station. Such applications were mostly filed by electors who had moved, the newspaper found.
However, the bulk applications began appearing on September 22, a day before the last day to file claims and objections.
Officials in Bidar and Vijayapura told...