Congress flags ‘mass, targeted voter deletions’ in Form‑7 misuse, seeks ECI intervention

The Congress on Thursday (January 29, 2026) alleged a “systematic and coordinated” attempt to delete the names of eligible voters across several States through the misuse of Form‑7 during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In a letter to the Election Commission of India (ECI), party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said the complaints pointed to a centrally driven mechanism that could disenfranchise lakhs of voters, particularly those from backward and marginalised communities.

Mr. Venugopal said party workers and media reports had flagged instances where persons “affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata Party” were found using pre‑printed Form‑7 documents, meant only for specific, verifiable objections, to seek deletion of names on a mass scale. The letter notes that Form‑7, published under Rule 26 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, carries a narrow statutory purpose and requires clear identity details and documentary grounds for any objection. Instead, the forms being submitted in bulk were allegedly riddled with illegible names, invalid phone numbers and EPIC details, and in many cases did not contain verifiable particulars of the objector.

“These actions, if remained unchecked and not taken cognisance of by the Commission, will not only embolden the BJP in its efforts to wrongfully gain electoral advantage but will also lead to the disenfranchisement of lakhs of voters, especially those belonging to the backward, marginalised communities, who, as per the media reports, have been made the target of these deletions through Form 7s,” Mr. Venugopal said in the letter.

According to the Congress, the pattern first emerged in Rajasthan and subsequently in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Kerala, suggesting that the issue was “neither localised nor isolated.” In several cases, Mr. Venugopal said, individuals listed as objectors turned out to be BJP booth-level agents or denied any knowledge of having filed objections.

The letter highlights incidents in Assam where members of the ruling BJP allegedly entered election offices and attempted to access databases to facilitate deletions through Form‑7. In Rajasthan, senior Congress leaders had already raised the issue publicly, reiterating that widespread misuse could undermine the integrity of the roll revision process.

Calling the situation “gravely worrying”, the Congress urged the Commission to initiate immediate corrective measures, impose strict scrutiny of Form‑7 applications, issue uniform guidelines to prevent misuse, and invoke its constitutional powers to investigate the alleged violations. It also sought legal action, including FIRs, in cases involving deliberate false declarations.