Belagavi BLOs report bulk voter-deletion forms targeting Muslim names

Booth Level Officers in parts of Belagavi North Assembly constituency have reported receiving bulk Form-7 applications seeking the deletion of Muslim voters’ names from electoral rolls. The Hindu reported that the incident occurred at at least six polling stations. In many applications, voters’ details were already printed, while objectors’ names were handwritten or left blank.

Booth officers said two men claiming to be from the Belagavi City Corporation delivered the forms and pressed them to sign and return them urgently. The officers said they refused because they knew many of the electors named in the applications. They alleged that the men then telephoned someone who claimed to be Electoral Registration Officer Udayakumar Basavantappa Talawar and instructed them to sign.

Talawar told the newspaper that someone had falsely used his name and that he had issued no such instruction. Some BLOs said they signed under pressure, while others tried unsuccessfully to contact supervisors and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers. Meersab Sanadi, a Booth Level Agent, said at least 380 applications included his name, his brother’s name and those of relatives and neighbours.

Other residents also said their details appeared on forms they had not completed. The report said similar bulk filings continued in Bhalki after the claims and objections deadline. Of 1,131 applications recorded between September 24 and 29, 1,123 were bulk filings.

Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered after final rolls are published on October 27.