SIR: Hyderabad BJP booth agent booked for misusing Form 7 to seek deletion of 30 Muslim voters

A Bharatiya Janata Party booth-level agent has been booked for allegedly misusing Form 7 to seek the deletion of 30 Muslim voters from the electoral roll of the Musheerabad Assembly constituency in Hyderabad during the special intensive revision, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.

Form 7 is used to object to the inclusion of a name or seek the deletion of an existing name from the electoral roll.

A first information report has been registered against the booth-level agent, S Balachander, on a complaint by the Musheerabad electoral registration officer, alleging that the application forms submitted by him were printed with the names of the voters concerned, The Hindu reported. This raised concerns that the forms had been prepared in advance and distributed to BJP booth-level agents for submission. However, BJP leaders have refuted the allegations, the newspaper reported.

Political parties appoint booth level agents for specific polling station areas to complement the Election Commission’s booth level officers during the preparation and revision of electoral rolls.

The 30 persons against whom Balachander is said to have submitted Form 7s for deletion from the electoral roll include a Congress booth-level agent.

“Personal field verification” by electoral officials on October 1 showed that the 30 persons whose names were flagged for deletions were residents of Hyderabad’s Musheerabad, The Indian Express quoted the...

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