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There was a new uproar in the Indian electoral system and political circles when the Election Commission of India suddenly made a major amendment in the rules of the very important ‘Form 7’ used for removing names from the voter list or registering objections. This step of the Commission is being considered very important amid the ongoing protests by CJP (Citizens for Justice and Peace) and various civil organizations across the country. To increase transparency in the electoral process and to prevent any kind of fraud or political misuse, the Election Commission has now decided that any person or applicant will be able to fill Form 7 only a fixed limit i.e. maximum 10 times. Since the implementation of this new rule, a heated debate has erupted between political parties and election analysts, as critics believe that it may affect the rights and complaints of voters, while the Commission says that it was extremely necessary to maintain electoral integrity.
What is Form 7 and why is there political turmoil over it?
As per the rules of the Election Commission of India, Form 7 is the official application form used to lodge an objection for deletion of a person’s name from the Electoral Roll or for exclusion of the name of a deceased/transferred voter from the list. In recent times, complaints were being received from many states that some political parties, vested interest groups or mischievous elements are conspiring to remove the names of legitimate voters from the list by filling Form 7 in bulk. Various human rights organizations, civil groups and forums like CJP had started strong protests against this illegal and planned practice of name deletion. The protesters alleged that through this fraud, a deep conspiracy was being hatched to deprive the voters of poor, minority and deprived sections of their voting rights, after which the Election Commission had to take strict cognizance of this.
Change in rules by Election Commission: Now filling will be allowed only maximum of 10 times
In view of the increasing controversies and complaints, the Election Commission has made major changes at the technical and administrative level and imposed strict restrictions on the online and offline portals of Form 7. According to the new rules, now Form 7 will be allowed to be submitted only a maximum of 10 times by the same ID, mobile number or applicant within a certain time limit. If any person or organization tries to apply more than this limit, the system will automatically block that application and orders will be issued for its thorough investigation. The Commission believes that with the implementation of this system, no person will be able to file fake objections in bulk and complete protection of voters’ rights will be ensured.
Impact of protests by CJP and civil organizations and debate on electoral transparency
Civil rights organization CJP (Citizens for Justice and Peace) and other human rights activists have seen this move by the Election Commission as a partial relief, although they also say that the rules have to be made more transparent to prevent electoral fraud H2. During the recent protests, it came to light how some anti-social elements were trying to influence the biggest festival of democracy by taking advantage of technical glitches. With this strict rule of the Election Commission, the message has become clear that the Commission will not tolerate tampering with the sanctity of the voter list at any cost. Analysts believe that these changes will not only curb fake complaints but will also strengthen public trust in the electoral machinery.
What will be the impact on upcoming elections and future election preparations?
As the upcoming assembly and other local elections are approaching in the country, this strictness of the Election Commission is being seen as a big change. It has now become necessary for political parties to follow completely legal and transparent methods during the verification of voter lists. The Election Commission has also directed all its District Election Officers and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to conduct physical and impartial scrutiny of every application coming under Form 7 at the ground level, so that the name of any genuine voter is not deleted even by mistake. This new amendment is going to prove to be a huge and milestone towards making Indian electoral democracy more secure, fair and accountable.