Hyderabad: Election Commission (EC) has capped Form-7 applications seeking deletion of names from electoral rolls at 10 per individual elector during the entire claims and objections period and five per month during continuous updation. The limits cover both online and offline submissions across states and Union Territories.The Oct 9 instructions, circulated by chief electoral officer, Telangana, C Sudharsan Reddy on Oct 12, follow complaints that bulk objections on unsubstantiated grounds caused inconvenience to voters and increased election officials’ workload.Earlier, the online system permitted six applications at a time, subject to disposal, while physical submissions had no corresponding numerical ceiling and were left to electoral registration officers’ discretion.Separate limits for party agentsThe 10-application ceiling for individuals covers the entire claims period, not each day. Separately, booth-level agents of recognised political parties can submit up to 50 forms daily to booth-level officers before draft publication and 10 daily afterwards.The electoral rolls manual requires personal cross-verification by the ERO when one person objects in more than five cases. It also says bulk claims and objections from individuals, including postal submissions, should not be entertained.Original signatures, individual hearingsUnder the Rule 13(2) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, an objector must be registered in the constituency concerned. EROs must check complete particulars, verify applicants against electoral rolls and ensure original signatures; signature seals cannot substitute them. Applications failing prescribed filing requirements must be rejected under Rule 17.For objections not disposed of under Rules 17 or 18, EROs must issue notice, personally hear the objector and record a separate statement for each application. Affected voters must get a hearing before an order. Knowingly false or fabricated declarations require action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.Earlier applications remain a questionThe directions come amid Telangana’s SIR exercise and controversy over pre-printed Form-7s in Musheerabad and Goshamahal constituencies. They do not specify treatment of previously submitted excess applications or disclose filing statistics, rejected applications or prosecutions.Sudharsan Reddy directed district election authorities to circulate the instructions among registration and field officials for strict compliance and wide publicity.
