Gurgaon: Since draft voter rolls for Haryana were published on July 31 when the first round of special intensive revision (SIR) concluded, 4.56 lakh Form 7 applications have been submitted across the four assembly seats of Gurgaon district. This is higher than the 4.53 lakh names deleted (29% of the electorate) from the draft roll.Form 7 is Election Commission of India’s (ECI) document that can be used by a registered voter to file an objection to the inclusion of a name in the electoral roll or seeking deletion of an existing entry. It can also be used for a request to delete one’s own name. A Form 7 application by itself does not result in a deletion. These have to pass scrutiny in line with ECI rules.Under Section 31 of Representation of the People Act, 1950, making a false statement or declaration in connection with preparation, revision or correction of an electoral roll, or inclusion or deletion of an entry – such as Form 7 – is punishable by imprisonment for up to a year, a fine, or both.On Oct 9, in the light of protests over high deletions in the SIR exercise itself and after bulk Form 7 submissions on unsubstantiated grounds came to light from different states, indicating attempts to disfranchise genuine voters, ECI capped the number of Form 7s allowed per voter during the SIR claims and objections phase at 10. During the non-SIR continuous updation of electoral rolls, the limit is five applications per voter per month. The restrictions apply to applications filed both online and offline.Gurgaon district had 15.55 lakh voters before SIR. Following publication of the draft electoral roll, the number shrank to 11.01 lakh. Against this revised electorate, the district subsequently received 4,56,887 Form 7 applications, compared with 44,841 Form 6 applications, which is ECI’s document to seek inclusion in the voter list.Gurgaon and Badshapur assembly constituencies account for 3,57,422 (78%) of these Form 7 applications. Both constituencies also saw the largest absolute reductions in their electorates at the draft roll stage. Gurgaon assembly constituency, which had 4.5 lakh voters before SIR, lost 1.78 lakh names, leaving 2.71 lakh voters on the draft roll.It has received 1,80,634 Form 7 applications, which is equivalent to around 67 applications for every 100 voters currently on the roll. In Badshapur, the electorate size fell from 5.41 lakh to 3.66 lakh after 1.75 lakh voters were deleted at the draft stage. The constituency has received 1,76,788 Form 7 applications, equivalent to around 48 applications for every 100 voters on the draft roll.Sohna’s electorate fell from 3.03 lakh to 2.45 lakh after 57,908 names were deleted. It has received 58,407 Form 7 applications, equivalent to nearly 24 applications for every 100 voters on the draft roll.Pataudi’s electorate declined from 2.59 lakh to 2.19 lakh after 40,303 names were deleted. The constituency has received 41,058 Form 7 applications, equivalent to around 19 applications for every 100 currently registered voters.Amid concern over this high volume of Form 7 applications, district election officer and Gurgaon deputy commissioner Uttam Singh cited ECI’s latest rule capping Form 7 applications. “The decision has been taken to prevent filing of a large number of objections without valid grounds and to avoid unnecessary inconvenience to voters,” he said.Singh said Rule 13(2) the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, stipulates that only a person whose name is already included in the electoral roll of the concerned assembly constituency can submit an objection under Form 7. Applicants must provide all required details and sign the form personally.Electoral registration officers (EROs) have been asked to verify applicants’ authenticity and cross-check details available on the electoral rolls while examining Form 7 applications. Applications relating to claims and objections, whether received by post or submitted in person, will be rejected if filed collectively in bulk by an individual, Singh said.Where necessary, EROs will issue notices and conduct personal hearings to examine the validity of each objection. The person whose name is being challenged also has to be given an opportunity to be heard before an order is passed, officials said.Badshapur, meanwhile, has the highest number of Form 6 applications, at 19,124. Gurgaon assembly constituency follows with 11,521 applications. Sohna has 8,346 and Pataudi 5,850.
