Uttarakhand SIR: BLA’s 5,359 Form 7s cleared on ‘plaint to ECI’

The report points out that most of the 6,884 Form 7 objections accepted in Kichha, 5,359, were from BJP BLA Rajesh Tiwari, who is an aide of former legislator and BJP district cell coordinator of Udham Singh Nagar, Rajesh Shukla.

New Delhi: Amid reports of bulk Form 7 applications being filed to seek the deletion of voters’ names across states during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, an investigation in Uttarakhand has traced thousands of such objections to BJP workers, with most targeting Muslim voters.

In the Kichha constituency of the Udham Singh Nagar district, 4,390 names that appeared in the draft electoral roll were missing from the final list released on October 3. Of these, around 670 voters had faced Form 7 objections in August, with 509 applications filed by Rajesh Tiwari, a BJP booth-level agent (BLA), according to Newslaundry.

The report points out that most of the 6,884 Form 7 objections accepted in Kichha, 5,359, were from Tiwari, who is an aide of former legislator and BJP district cell coordinator of Udham Singh Nagar, Rajesh Shukla.

Tiwari claimed that initially, the local electoral registration officer (ERO) refused to accept bulk Form 7 objections, citing the absence of any such provision in the Election Commission of India (ECI) rules. He said that he emailed his complaint [against the ERO] to the ECI.   

“Within two days of sending the email, the ERO’s office called and asked me to submit the objections,” he said to Newslaundry, claiming that his bulk Form 7 objections were accepted following directions from the ECI.

What Kichha ERO says

On his part, Kichha ERO Gaurav Pandey neither confirmed nor denied Tiwari’s claims. He said, “Our SIR has been completed. We have heard the claims and objections, and that process is also over. Other than that, I cannot comment on this.”

He also refused to comment on whether he was given any directions on Tiwari’s complaint against him. Even on the deletions, he said, “Whatever we have done is in accordance with ECI rules and regulations.”

Meanwhile, the claims and objections window closed on August 13 in Uttarakhand. Checking the Form 10 data from the state CEO, Newslaundry found that 504 of Tiwari’s accepted 5,359 Form 7s carry an acknowledgement date of August 14, a day after the deadline. They have asked the Uttarakhand CEO and the Kichha ERO how that was done and have yet to receive a response.

They have also reached out to the Uttarakhand CEO, the ECI, and the CEC, but none has responded yet.

What ECI rules say on Form 7 filings

According to the report, Tiwari filed the most objections in Uttarakhand, and Kichha was among the top five constituencies in the state for the number of Form 7 filings. Form 7 is submitted to object to the inclusion of a voter’s name, or seek its deletion, from the electoral roll.

Kichha ERO Gaurav Pandey had told the publication that the applications were accepted online and they would be cross-checked. However, following Congress’ backlash over the issue, the deletions reduced but many were still hit by it.

According to the ECI’s Electoral Manual 2023, a BLA can, at most, submit 10 Form 7 applications in a day. This was later increased to 50 forms a day. However, this January, a letter to the West Bengal CEO removed the cap but made a review compulsory in case one objector filed more than five forms. Then earlier this month, once alleged bulk Form 7s led to an agitation in Karnataka, the ECI ruled that an individual could file 10 Form 7s and not more than five a month.

Meanwhile, in Kichha, of the 4,390 missing names, 3,720 had no objections filed against them. The ERO deleted these voters on the basis of logical discrepancies.

What the BLA has to say

When Newslaundry spoke to BLA Tiwari about his bulk filings, he claimed that his party had learnt that around 6,000 voters registered in Kichha also had their names, along with their parents’ names, registered in the Assembly constituencies of Baheri, Bilaspur, Rampur, Mirganj and Pilibhit in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

He said the BJP obtained the final UP electoral roll, and the BLAs then prepared a list of these voters, along with their EPIC numbers, which was then submitted to the ERO. 

As to why all of them were Muslims, Tiwari said, “Most of the people in our neighbouring areas are Muslims who have come and settled here. Besides, the number of Muslim voters in our constituency has increased rapidly, while more Hindu voters have been deleted from our constituency, as they have shifted to other places.”

According to political consultancy Chanakyya, 28.4 per cent of Kichha’s voters are Muslim, which is more than the community’s share in the state’s population. If one looks at the last Assembly elections, Congress’ Tilak Raj Behar defeated Shukla, a two-time MLA, by more than 10,000 votes in 2022.

Objections based on false information: Congress

Kichha Congress MLA Behar alleged that the objections were based on false information. “We prepared a list of 100 such people against whom the BJP had provided incorrect information and submitted it to the Election Commission and senior officials. The Election Commission’s intentions are not at all clear. They want to delete as many names as possible,” he said.