Uttarakhand SIR: Congress petitions ECI over mass Form-7 deletion bids
Synopsis
Just 262 individuals have filed thousands of objections seeking deletion of Uttarakhand voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision — and Congress says the process is running without notice to those being removed. The petition to the ECI demands an immediate halt and independent audit, raising serious questions about the integrity of the revision exercise ahead of future elections.
Key Takeaways
Congress leaders from Uttarakhand petitioned the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 20 August 2026 over alleged mass Form-7 deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) .
Analysis of Form-10 data shows 262 individual objectors each filed more than 10 Form-7 objections , collectively lodging several thousand deletion requests.
The party alleged objections are being processed without notice to affected electors and without a credible or verifiable basis.
A DSE/PSE software exercise has reportedly been restarted mid-SIR without a disclosed legal basis, according to the petition.
Congress demanded an immediate suspension of Form-7 disposal, an independent audit, and legal action under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 .
Congress leaders from Uttarakhand on Thursday, 20 August 2026, wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) in New Delhi, alleging that bulk Form-7 objections — seeking deletion of names from electoral rolls — are being filed by a small group of individuals during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), potentially disenfranchising genuine voters at scale.
The Core Allegation
According to the petition, an analysis of Form-10 data — the official register of claims and objections — issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Uttarakhand, covering all Assembly Constituencies from the date of draft publication up to 6 August 2026, reveals that 262 individual objectors have each filed more than 10 Form-7 objections. Between them, these 262 persons have collectively lodged several thousand objections seeking deletion of electors.
The Congress leaders alleged these objections are being filed without any corresponding physical complaint, verifiable identity, or credible basis on record. They further claimed that the largest concentration of such objections is in a handful of Assembly Constituencies, and attached the names of the constituencies and all 262 objectors to the petition.
Procedural Violations Claimed
The party contended that these bulk objections are being received and processed in violation of stipulated rules and procedures — without notice to the electors whose names are sought to be deleted. They also alleged that a software-driven Demographically/Photo Similar Entries (DSE/PSE) exercise has been restarted mid-SIR without any disclosed legal basis.
'Taken together, they disclose a systemic vulnerability capable of resulting in the wrongful and irreversible disenfranchisement of genuine electors at a scale that no single Chief Electoral Officer or District Election Officer can be left to address in isolation,' the letter stated.
Why the ECI Was Approached
The Congress leaders noted they had previously raised these concerns before the state's Chief Electoral Officer and other relevant authorities. Claiming that 'no effective corrective intervention appears to have been undertaken', they escalated the matter directly to the Election Commission in Delhi.
What the Petition Demands
The petition urged the ECI to verify and record an objector's own constituency of enrolment and their legal standing to object to a specific entry. It also demanded that any elector facing removal from the roll must be heard before their objection is disposed of — failing which, it would amount to a violation of election rules.
The Congress further sought immediate suspension of disposal of Form-7 objections and deletions in Uttarakhand pending independent verification and an audit by the Commission. It also called for legal action against objectors making false declarations under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, as well as disciplinary measures against officers found to be improperly processing objections.
Broader Significance
This is not the first time electoral roll integrity has been contested during a Special Intensive Revision. Critics have long argued that the SIR process, while designed to clean up rolls, can be weaponised through coordinated bulk objections if adequate safeguards are not enforced. The Uttarakhand episode, if substantiated, would represent one of the more documented instances of alleged systemic manipulation during an active revision exercise. The ECI's response — and whether it orders an independent audit — will be closely watched ahead of future state elections.
Point of View
But whether it acts before deletions become irreversible. Electoral rolls corrected after an election are no remedy at all. The ECI's credibility in managing the SIR process — particularly in a politically sensitive state like Uttarakhand — depends on whether it can demonstrate that bulk objections face the same evidentiary bar as individual ones. So far, the silence from the Commission is what the Congress is using as its strongest argument.
NationPress
21 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Congress petition to the ECI about?
The Congress petition alleges that 262 individuals have collectively filed thousands of Form-7 objections seeking deletion of genuine voters' names from Uttarakhand's electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The party has demanded an immediate suspension of the deletion process and an independent audit by the Election Commission of India.
What is a Form-7 objection in the context of electoral rolls?
Form-7 is the official form used to raise an objection to the proposed inclusion or deletion of a name from the electoral roll. Under election rules, such objections must be based on a credible and verifiable basis, and the affected elector is entitled to a hearing before any deletion is processed.
What does the Form-10 data reveal about the Uttarakhand SIR?
According to Form-10 data — the official register of claims and objections — issued by the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttarakhand up to 6 August 2026, a total of 262 individual objectors each filed more than 10 Form-7 objections, collectively lodging several thousand deletion requests concentrated in a handful of Assembly Constituencies.
What is the DSE/PSE exercise and why is it contested?
The Demographically/Photo Similar Entries (DSE/PSE) exercise is a software-driven process used to identify duplicate or similar entries in electoral rolls. Congress has alleged that this exercise was restarted mid-SIR without any disclosed legal basis, adding to concerns about procedural irregularities in the revision process.
What action has Congress demanded from the Election Commission?
Congress has urged the ECI to immediately halt disposal of Form-7 objections and deletions in Uttarakhand pending an independent audit, ensure affected electors are heard before removal, verify the legal standing of objectors, and initiate legal action against those making false declarations under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
