K'taka CM Shivakumar orders police probe into Form 7 vote deletion fraud
Synopsis
Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar went beyond rhetoric at the INDIA Bloc's Bengaluru rally — he announced police cases against those allegedly behind a coordinated Form 7 fraud that he claims erased up to 1 crore voter names in Karnataka alone, and warned Booth Level Officers that CCTV evidence is in hand. The move transforms a protest into a law-enforcement confrontation.
Key Takeaways
Shivakumar on 5 November 2026 announced a police investigation into the alleged misuse of Form 7 applications to delete voters from electoral rolls.
He alleged Form 7 applications were printed at BJP offices , pre-filled with voter details, to mass-file fraudulent deletion requests targeting SC/ST, OBC and minority voters.
Shivakumar claimed 10,000–20,000 votes per constituency were targeted, with around 1 crore names deleted in Karnataka and 65 lakh in Bihar, he alleged.
CCTV footage of those who allegedly facilitated the fraud is reportedly available, and cases against Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and BJP workers are being initiated.
The Election Commission of India had earlier been asked to stop processing disputed Form 7 applications following the Congress's sit-in protest in Delhi.
Shivakumar declared the agitation would continue until all wrongly deleted voter names — except those of deceased persons — are restored to the electoral rolls.
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday, 5 November 2026, announced that the state government would launch a police investigation into the alleged misuse of Form 7 applications to illegally delete voters' names from electoral rolls. Speaking at the INDIA Bloc's 'Stop Vote Theft, Save the Nation' protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, Shivakumar directly accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a systematic electoral fraud across multiple states.
What Shivakumar Alleged
The Chief Minister claimed that Form 7 applications — used by citizens to request deletion of a voter's name — had been printed at BJP offices and distributed to constituency-level party workers, pre-filled with voters' names, identity card numbers and phone numbers. According to Shivakumar, only the name of the person submitting the application needed to be filled in, making it easy to mass-file fraudulent deletion requests.
'This was allegedly part of a conspiracy to delete 10,000 to 20,000 votes belonging to Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and minorities in each constituency,' he said. He specifically named Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, and the Bengaluru constituency represented by Sowmya Reddy as areas where such attempts were reportedly made — and said a major irregularity had been averted only because party workers had raised the alarm in time.
CCTV Evidence and BLO Warning
'I want to tell all Booth Level Officers (BLOs) appointed by the Election Commission that CCTV footage is available showing who encouraged vote theft and who brought the applications. Cases will be registered in this regard, and justice will be delivered to society,' Shivakumar stated at the rally. He added that after cases were initially registered, BJP leaders allegedly approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) and police officials to shield their workers — a charge the BJP has not publicly responded to as of this report.
Scale of Alleged Deletions Across States
Shivakumar claimed that the problem extended well beyond Karnataka. He alleged that approximately 65 lakh votes had been deleted in Bihar, around 1 crore in Karnataka, and 25 lakh in Haryana, while also alleging similar irregularities in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. He criticised the Centre for refusing to acknowledge these figures and said the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process was not delivering justice to affected voters.
He also referenced a survey conducted by a team led by Prakash Raj and Noor Sridhar across hundreds of constituencies, which he said had documented instances of injustice at individual polling booths. The government had, he added, taken note of the findings and initiated action.
Earlier Protests and Election Commission Response
Shivakumar recalled staging a sit-in protest at the Election Commission's office in Delhi alongside cabinet colleagues, refusing to leave until action was taken. He said the Commission subsequently instructed officials to stop processing Form 7 applications received through the disputed route and was also directed to facilitate fresh voter inclusions and pursue legal action. He also cited an earlier agitation at Freedom Park alongside Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah over alleged voter roll violations in Mahadevapura, Gandhinagar and other parts of Karnataka. He alleged that the recent protest in Delhi saw young demonstrators being treated in a 'shameful' manner.
What Comes Next
Shivakumar declared that the agitation would continue until voter names deleted through the SIR process are restored — with the exception of deceased individuals. 'The agitation will continue until justice is delivered to voters who have suffered injustice during the SIR process. There is no question of withdrawing the protest until our demands are fulfilled,' he said. The Congress-led Karnataka government's decision to direct police action against alleged electoral fraud sets up a direct confrontation with central election authorities and the BJP ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.
Point of View
With CCTV evidence cited as the basis. The charge that Form 7 applications were centrally prepared at party offices is specific and verifiable; if corroborated, it would constitute organised electoral fraud at scale. What is missing is an independent audit of the deletion numbers he cites — figures like '1 crore deletions in Karnataka' require cross-referencing with official electoral roll data before they can be treated as established fact. The BJP has not publicly rebutted the specifics, which is itself notable. The larger pattern — opposition parties alleging ECI complicity in voter roll manipulation — represents a deepening institutional trust deficit that no party in power can afford to dismiss as mere politics.
NationPress
5 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Form 7 voter deletion fraud alleged by Karnataka CM Shivakumar?
Form 7 is a form used by citizens to request the removal of a voter's name from the electoral roll. Shivakumar alleged that Form 7 applications were bulk-printed at BJP offices and distributed pre-filled with voter details — requiring only the submitter's name — to mass-delete the names of Scheduled Tribe, Backward Class and minority voters from rolls across Karnataka constituencies.
What action is the Karnataka government taking over the alleged electoral fraud?
Chief Minister Shivakumar announced on 5 November 2026 that police cases would be registered against those who allegedly facilitated or encouraged the fraudulent deletion of voter names. He said CCTV footage was available identifying individuals who brought applications to Booth Level Officers, and that cases would be filed accordingly.
How many voter names does Shivakumar claim were wrongly deleted?
Shivakumar alleged that approximately 1 crore voter names were deleted in Karnataka, 65 lakh in Bihar, and 25 lakh in Haryana as part of the alleged fraud. He also cited similar irregularities in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, though these figures have not been independently verified.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and why is it controversial?
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an Election Commission of India exercise to update electoral rolls, including removing names of those who are deceased, have relocated, or are otherwise ineligible. Shivakumar and the INDIA Bloc allege the process has been misused to delete legitimate voters, particularly from marginalised communities, and are demanding restoration of all wrongly removed names.
Has the Election Commission responded to these allegations?
According to Shivakumar, the Election Commission previously instructed officials to stop processing disputed Form 7 applications following a protest by Congress leaders at the Commission's Delhi office. The ECI was also directed to facilitate fresh voter inclusions and initiate legal action, he said. An independent official statement from the Commission on the latest police probe announcement was not available at the time of this report.
