The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday tightened limits on the submission of Form 7, the statutory form used to seek the deletion of an elector's name, following reports of bulk filings that caused "avoidable inconvenience" to voters.
The decision comes at a time when the poll panel is facing scrutiny over alleged targeted bulk submissions.
What ECI Said?
In instructions issued to Chief Electoral Officers across all States and Union Territories, the poll body noted that while online submissions were already capped at six per individual, physical submissions presented to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) lacked a defined limit.
"Although the number of applications to be filed online by an individual elector has been fixed as 6 at a time, subject to disposal, the number of physical forms presented in bulk has not been defined and has been left to the judgement of the EROs, which is creating challenges for the field functionaries," the commission stated.
"Accordingly, the Commission, with the intent to discourage bulk filing of objections by an individual elector, has decided to prescribe… [limits] on filing of Form 7 applications in both online and offline mode," it added.
New Limits And Rules
Under the new directives, an individual elector can submit a maximum of 10 Form 7 applications, in both online and offline modes, during the entire claims and objections period, which typically lasts one month following the publication of the draft roll.
During continuous electoral roll updates, when revision exercises are not underway, the limit is capped at five applications per month per individual.
Furthermore, the poll panel has directed election officials to strictly verify all applications, conduct proper hearings, and take action against any applicants found to have knowingly submitted false declarations.
What Is Form 7?
Under Rule 13 (2) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, Form 7 is the application used either to object to a proposed inclusion or to seek the deletion of an existing name from the electoral roll. Only an individual who is registered to vote in the same Assembly constituency is eligible to file it.