Owaisi alleges Form 7 misuse to delete Muslim voters in Hyderabad constituency
Synopsis
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has formally complained to Telangana's Chief Electoral Officer, alleging that 122 Form 7 deletion applications at a single Goshamahal polling station all targeted Muslim voters — with pre-printed names and a single BJP sympathiser listed as the applicant. He is demanding action under the Representation of the People Act and calling the SIR an 'NRC through the backdoor.'
Key Takeaways
AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi alleged a conspiracy to delete Muslim voters via fraudulent Form 7 applications during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
At polling station 28 in Goshamahal , 122 Form 7 applications were submitted by a single individual allegedly linked to the BJP ; all 122 voters targeted were Muslim.
At polling station 173 , around 30 Form 7 applications with pre-printed voter names but no applicant name were submitted; both BLOs declined to accept the forms.
Owaisi has demanded action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 against those filing false applications.
He also called the current Chief Election Commissioner selection process 'completely in favour of the executive' and demanded restoration of a panel-based selection including the Chief Justice of India .
Owaisi described the SIR as 'an NRC through the backdoor,' and warned of possible similar misuse going undetected elsewhere in Telangana .
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, alleged a 'deep conspiracy' to fraudulently delete Muslim voters from electoral rolls through the bulk misuse of Form 7 during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Owaisi formally complained to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy, citing specific incidents in the Goshamahal Assembly constituency of Hyderabad.
What Owaisi Alleged
In his letter to the Chief Electoral Officer, Owaisi stated that at polling station number 28, a person named Thudumu Janardhan submitted 122 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voter names. According to Owaisi, the names of voters targeted for deletion were pre-printed on the forms, while Janardhan's own name and contact number appeared as the applicant. Owaisi alleged that Janardhan is 'a sympathiser of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),' adding: 'This makes it clearly evident that Form 7 is being used to target Muslim voters specifically.'
At polling station number 173, Owaisi said around 30 Form 7 applications were submitted to the Booth Level Officer (BLO). These forms reportedly carried pre-printed names of voters but left the applicant's name blank. He thanked both BLOs for declining to accept the forms.
The Voters Targeted
Speaking at AIMIM headquarters Darussalam in Hyderabad, Owaisi stressed that all 122 names in the disputed Form 7 applications were present in the voter lists of 2022, 2026, and the recently published draft rolls. He said some of those voters had already attended hearings after receiving notices for anomalies. 'All 122 voters are Muslims. Who is filing Form 7 applications? Why this hatred against Muslims?' he said.
Legal Action Demanded
Owaisi urged the Chief Electoral Officer to initiate action against those responsible under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which penalises false statements in electoral applications. He noted that the CEO had already issued instructions to all Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to invoke the same provision against applicants making false declarations. Owaisi also demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) take 'serious action' against those attempting to target voters of a specific community through fraudulent Form 7 submissions.
He acknowledged that the alertness of BLOs and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) had foiled the attempts in Goshamahal, but expressed concern that similar misuse could be going undetected elsewhere in Telangana.
Owaisi on CEC and the SIR Process
On a separate question about the INDIA bloc MPs' protest march to the ECI office in Delhi, Owaisi clarified he did not participate as he is not part of that alliance. He reiterated, however, his opposition to the current process for selecting the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), calling it 'completely in favour of the executive' and demanding a legislative amendment to restore selection by a panel comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India. Owaisi also reiterated his broader objection to the SIR itself, remarking that it amounts to 'an NRC through the backdoor.' The ECI has not yet responded publicly to Owaisi's formal complaint.
Point of View
Named applicant, pre-printed forms, documented BLO refusals — to demand a formal investigation rather than a political dismissal. The deeper concern is systemic: if BLO alertness is the only firewall against bulk deletion attempts, the SIR process has a structural vulnerability that affects not just Muslims but any community that could be targeted through coordinated Form 7 submissions. The 'NRC through the backdoor' framing may be rhetorical escalation, but the underlying question — whether the SIR's design inadvertently enables targeted disenfranchisement — deserves a substantive answer from the ECI, not silence.
NationPress
6 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Form 7 and why is it at the centre of this controversy?
Form 7 is the application form used to request deletion of a name from the electoral rolls, typically filed when a voter has died, shifted residence, or is otherwise ineligible. In this case, AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi alleges that Form 7 applications were filed in bulk by a single individual against 122 Muslim voters in Hyderabad's Goshamahal constituency, with voter names pre-printed on the forms — raising concerns of coordinated, fraudulent deletion attempts.
What action has Owaisi demanded?
Owaisi has written to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy demanding action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which penalises false statements in electoral applications. He has also called on the Election Commission of India to take serious action against those targeting voters of a specific community through fraudulent Form 7 submissions.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls?
The Special Intensive Revision is a periodic exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to update and clean up electoral rolls — adding eligible voters, correcting entries, and removing names of those no longer eligible. Owaisi has alleged that the SIR process is being misused in Telangana to target Muslim voters, and has broadly described the exercise as 'an NRC through the backdoor.'
Who is alleged to have filed the fraudulent Form 7 applications?
According to Owaisi's complaint, a person named Thudumu Janardhan filed 122 Form 7 applications at polling station number 28 in Goshamahal, with all targeted voters being Muslim. Owaisi alleged that Janardhan is a sympathiser of the BJP, though the BJP has not publicly responded to this specific allegation.
What did Owaisi say about the Chief Election Commissioner selection process?
Owaisi reiterated his opposition to the current process for selecting the Chief Election Commissioner, calling it 'completely in favour of the executive.' He demanded a legislative amendment to restore selection by a three-member panel comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice of India — the system that was in place before a recent legal and legislative change.
