Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP, ECI of erasing 15,000 voters in Belagavi

Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP and ECI of a plot to delete nearly 15,000 voters, mainly from Muslim, SC, ST, and OBC communities, in Karnataka's Belagavi region by filing bulk Form 7 applications, calling it a centralised 'vote theft'.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging a systemic attempt to erase nearly 15,000 voters from electoral rolls in Karnataka’s Belagavi region.

In a post on X, Gandhi alleged that a massive "flood" of Form 7 applications was filed in bulk over three days — September 22, 23 and 24 — to remove targeted groups from electoral rolls. He claimed the deletions were aimed mainly at Muslim, SC, ST and OBC voters in a coordinated bid to disenfranchise communities that traditionally vote against the ruling party.

Rahul Gandhi Alleges 'Vote Theft' Plot

"In just three days—September 22, 23, and 24—there was a flood of Form 7 applications to remove nearly 15,000 voters... Muslims, SCs, STs, and OBCs are being systematically targeted because they do not vote for the BJP," said Rahul Gandhi. Form 7 is the official document prescribed by the Election Commission for objecting to the inclusion or seeking the deletion of a name in an existing electoral roll. In Belagavi, local election officials reportedly received thousands of such applications over a span of 72 hours, triggering alarm among local Congress workers and booth-level officers (BLOs).

"I had already exposed this method of vote theft - votes are deleted through software in a centralised manner. "Select" people are targeted as BJP and EC officials collude to fill out Form 7 in bulk through automated means - and in the blink of an eye, millions vanish from the voter list. And all of this is controlled from the top," said Gandhi. He slammed the "shamelessness of BJP-EC" adding, "The entire country is furious about vote theft - but still, see the shamelessness of BJP-EC as they openly continue doing the same things. In Belagavi, Karnataka, there was a plot underway to erase the names of nearly 15,000 voters in one fell swoop."

He alleged that the voter deletions were part of a centralised process in which software was used to target “select” voters and claimed that BJP and Election Commission officials were colluding to submit Form 7 applications in bulk through automated means. He further wrote, “I had already exposed this method of vote theft - votes are deleted through software in a centralised manner. "Select" people are targeted as BJP and EC officials collude to fill out Form 7 in bulk through automated means - and in the blink of an eye, millions vanish from the voter list. And all of this is controlled from the top.”

Gandhi Demands FIR, Calls for CEC's Resignation

Gandhi further claimed that Karnataka Congress leaders were demanding registration of an FIR against those allegedly responsible at the office of the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer and questioned why the CEO was refusing to register the FIR. He also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were collectively “destroying democracy through SIR” and termed the alleged actions “treason”.

Gandhi demanded that Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar immediately take action or step down, alleging that refusal to register an FIR undermines democratic institutions. "Karnataka Congress leaders are at this moment demanding an FIR against the culprits at the Karnataka CEO's office. Why is the CEO refusing this FIR? In this way, Modi, Shah, and Gyanesh are collectively destroying democracy through SIR. This is treason. That's why I'm saying Gyanesh Kumar should resign and become an approver, and there should be an investigation against Modi and Shah," he added.

Election Commission Clarifies Safeguards

The Election Commission and regional authorities clarified the procedural safeguards surrounding Form 7 filings. Election officials stressed that no voter’s name can be deleted automatically or solely based on the submission of a Form 7. Every application requires physical field verification, notices issued to the affected voter, and due process conducted by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) before any deletion is finalised. Election Officials instructed local BLOs to halt immediate processing of suspect bulk filings, initiating internal inquiries to trace the origin of the submissions and verify whether signatures were genuine.

BJP Rejects Accusations

BJP Representatives rejected accusations of systemic manipulation or party-led voter suppression, stating that submitting objections is a standard legal right under election rules to weed out duplicate or shifted voters. BJP leaders maintained that any fraudulent filing by individuals should face standard legal scrutiny without political overreach.

Speaking to ANI, BJP MP Jagadish Shettar said, “They (Opposition) always criticise the government and the Election Commission... The Election Commission has no power to delete genuine votes. If that is not genuine. If there are duplicate votes or double votes, then naturally it is going to be deleted.”

"If there are duplicate votes, double votes, or the names of people who have died, then naturally those names are going to be deleted. Therefore, this kind of appeasement of minority communities should not be done because, in a democratic and secular system, we have to maintain equality and fairness. It should only be done for the purpose of maintaining a secular democratic system," he further added.

INDIA Bloc Announces Protests

Earlier on Wednesday, INDIA bloc leaders held a coordination meeting in New Delhi and announced a series of protests against the EC. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Opposition parties would organise a nationwide “Save Democracy March” at the district level from October 2 to October 8.

Disputes surrounding electoral rolls and Form 7 submissions have emerged periodically across various state elections. While political parties frequently monitor roll revisions—often raising concerns over unexpected surges in additions or deletions—the Election Commission maintains that its multi-tier verification process prevents unauthorised removal of legitimate voters. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)