An NDA delegation led by Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy and Leaders of Opposition R. Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy met Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at Lok Bhavan, Bengaluru, on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, urging his intervention in what the alliance termed undue governmental interference in the constitutional process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The delegation submitted a formal memorandum asking the Governor to protect individuals — including BJP workers — who had filed objections through Form-7 applications, and to halt what it described as false and unwarranted FIRs under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

What the NDA delegation alleged

The BJP and Janata Dal (Secular) MLAs and MPs comprising the delegation alleged that the Chief Electoral Office had reportedly succumbed to pressure from the Congress-led Karnataka state government. They contended that the SIR exercise — currently at the stage of issuing notices and disposing of claims and objections — was being undermined by political interference aimed at restricting legitimate objections to electoral roll entries.

The delegation further alleged that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and other ministers had held a protest within the premises of the Election Commission despite prohibitory orders in force, exerting what the memorandum termed undue influence on the functioning of the Chief Electoral Office.

The Form-7 controversy at the centre of the dispute

At the heart of the row is the use of Form-7 — a statutory instrument under Rule 13(2) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 — through which any enrolled voter may raise an objection to the inclusion of a name in the electoral roll. The NDA memorandum cited an Election Commission of India communication dated 16 January 2026 and the Manual on Electoral Rolls, 2023 to argue that bulk submission of Form-7 applications is explicitly permitted and that there is no cap on the number of objections an individual or a Booth Level Agent may file.

'Hence, no illegality is committed with submitting Form-7,' the delegation stated in its memorandum.

According to the NDA, the SIR was necessary to prevent the inclusion of ineligible persons in electoral rolls on account of what it described as illegal influx, and to safeguard the integrity of voter lists ahead of future elections.

FIRs in multiple districts fuel apprehension

The delegation told the Governor that a circular proposing action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act had created widespread apprehension among citizens who had submitted Form-7 applications. It cited FIRs registered in multiple districts — Belagavi, Bidar, Ballari, and Mysuru — as evidence that police machinery was being used to intimidate those participating in the constitutionally sanctioned SIR process.

The memorandum argued that such actions undermined the constitutional promise of universal adult franchise and compromised the independence of election officials.

What the delegation has demanded

The NDA urged Governor Gehlot to issue directions to the Karnataka government on two counts: first, to protect the interests of individuals who had filed Form-7 objections; and second, to ensure that no false or unwarranted criminal cases under the BNS, 2023 were registered against them. The delegation maintained that the Governor's intervention was essential to uphold the purity of elections and the rule of law.

The Congress government in Karnataka is yet to formally respond to the memorandum. With the SIR process still in its notice phase, the dispute is likely to intensify as the deadline for disposal of claims and objections approaches.