In Karnataka, a surge of bulk Form‑7 applications has been lodged across multiple assembly constituencies, seeking the deletion of more than 4,000 voter names. The majority of these requests target Muslim voters and are filed under the pretext that the voters are “Absent/Permanently Shifted.” The Form‑10 statutory report, which aggregates all Form‑7 objections, records the volume of these applications.
Babaleshwar, a seat represented by Congress minister M.B. Patil, received 1,373 Form‑7 applications on September 22. Of these, 1,363 were submitted by just ten individuals, and the majority of the deletions were aimed at Muslim voters outside their own polling stations. Notably, Huchappa Ganiger, an elector in Babaleshwar, filed 493 applications across about 30 polling stations, with 423 lodged on the final day before the September 23 deadline. Govindaraj Mundur also filed 413 applications on the same day.
Similar bulk filings were observed in other constituencies. In Bhalki, where Minister Eshwar Khandre serves, at least 30 people filed objections deleting more than 1,700 names on September 23. In BJP‑led seats, Basavakalyan saw Siddappa file 32 of 37 applications, all targeting Muslim voters in a single polling station, while Umesh Bangera in Belthangady filed 21 such applications.
Investigations revealed irregularities in the preparation of the forms: in many cases the voters’ details were pre‑printed, with only the objectors’ names handwritten. Cross‑checks found that some named objectors, such as Vishnuvardhan Kote, did not appear in the official filing list, while others like Santosh Eshwar did. Officials in Bidar and Vijayapura confirmed that all objections would be scrutinised before any deletion, warning that unfounded claims could lead to disciplinary action.
