ECI caps Form-7 filings to curb unsubstantiated bulk objections in electoral rolls

New Delhi [India], October 9 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday issued an official instruction to all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of States and Union Territories to impose strict caps on individual filings of Form-7 applications, used for objecting to names included or proposed for inclusion in electoral rolls, to prevent abuse of the process.
The decision stems from repeated instances where individual electors filed Form-7 objections in bulk on unsubstantiated grounds. This practice caused severe inconvenience to genuine voters whose names were challenged, while creating unnecessary administrative burdens for field-level election staff.
Under Rule 13(2) of the Registration of Electors Rules (RER), 1960, an objection or deletion request via Form 7 can only be submitted by a person who is already registered in the electoral roll of that specific constituency. Every such application requires mandatory examination by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).
While political party-appointed Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have specific bulk filing limits, up to 50 forms/day before draft publication during the SIR period and 10 forms/day thereafter, the rules for individual electors previously lacked explicit offline numeric caps.
Existing guidelines under the Manual on Electoral Rolls, 2023 barred bulk filings and required personal cross-verification by the ERO if an individual objected in more than 5 cases. However, offline bulk submission limits were left to ERO discretion, causing administrative confusion.
The Election Commission of India has issued fresh directives to regulate individual applications for deletion of names from electoral rolls.
New Individual Application Limits (Online & Offline): During the Claims and Objections period, a maximum of 10 Form-7 applications will be allowed per individual elector for the entire period. During the Continuous Updation period, a maximum of 5 Form-7 applications per individual elector per month will be allowed.
Verification and Signature Requirements (Rule 17, RER 1960): Applications not filed within the specified period, form or manner must be rejected by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). Forms must contain full details and bear the original signature of the objector. Use of signature seals is strictly prohibited.EROs must cross-check the applicant's credentials against the electoral roll to verify genuineness.
Hearing and Dispute Disposal Process (Rule 19 & 20, RER 1960): Prior to disposing of an objection, the ERO must issue a notice to the objector, hear them personally, and record separate statements for every Form-7 submitted. If satisfied with the validity, the ERO will provide an opportunity of hearing to the person being objected to before passing a final order.
If an ERO discovers a complaint to be false or fabricated, action will be initiated against the applicant under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 for knowingly making false statements or declarations.
The directives were issued by Sandeep Kumar, Under Secretary, Election Commission of India. The letter is addressed to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories.
As per the implementation details, CEOs have been directed to inform all EROs, Assistant EROs (AEROs) and field functionaries for immediate compliance, while ensuring widespread public awareness. Copies of the letter have been marked to DG (IIIDEM), Sr. DEC (MG), Sr. DEC (PKS), DEC (YB), DG (Media), DG (IT), DDG (Law), Director (SS), and all Directors, Principal Secretaries and Secretaries. (ANI)