NDA delegation urges Karnataka Governor to act against alleged interference in SIR
An NDA delegation comprising BJP and JD(S) leaders on Tuesday urged Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to seek his intervention against what they termed "undue interference" by the state government in the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls and prevent the registration of “unwarranted” criminal cases against people submitting objections through Form-7.
In a letter submitted to the Governor, the delegation accused the ruling Congress and its members of influencing the SIR process and "misusing" the state police machinery to intimidate individuals, particularly BJP workers and supporters, who had filed objections to names in the electoral rolls.
The delegation comprising BJP and JD(S) leaders, including Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, R Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy met the Governor at Lok Bhavan and submitted a complaint letter.
The delegation was referring to criminal cases being registered at various police stations across the state against individuals, particularly BJP workers and sympathisers, accusing them of filing fake Form-7 targeting certain sections of the society.
Form-7 is a voter application form for objections to proposed inclusion/ deletion of names in the existing electoral roll.
According to the letter, filing objections through Form-7 was a legitimate statutory right under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and the state government was attempting to create fear among those exercising the right by invoking serious offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
“There is no bar on filing bulk objections through Form-7,” the delegation claimed, citing the Election Commission’s communiqué of January 16, 2026, and provisions of the Manual on Electoral Rolls, 2023.
Objections filed through Form-7 are subject to scrutiny by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO), who is required to conduct an inquiry and provide an opportunity of hearing to both the objector and the person whose name is under objection.
It also pointed out that decisions of the ERO/AERO are subject to an appellate mechanism under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Alleging misuse of police powers, the delegation said FIRs had reportedly been registered in Bhalki in Bidar, Market Area in Belagavi, Vyalikaval in Bengaluru, Ballari and Narasimharaja in Mysuru in connection with Form-7 objections.
While filing false objections is punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the delegation alleged that the police were invoking more serious offences such as cheating, forgery, intimidation and breach of peace under the BNS, thereby bypassing the non-cognisable nature of the provision under the election law.
The NDA delegation also raised objections to the protest by Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and his ministerial colleagues on October 1 in the premises of the Chief Electoral Officer’s office.
It alleged that the protest was held despite prohibitory orders and amounted to undue pressure on the Chief Electoral Office and the SIR process.
The delegation further claimed that the protest was in violation of an August 2022 order of the Karnataka High Court and the Regulation of Protests, Demonstrations and Protest Marches (Bengaluru City) Order, 2021, which restricts protests to designated areas including Freedom Park.
The NDA delegation expressed concern that the Chief Electoral Office had “succumbed” to pressure from the state government and sought the governor’s intervention to protect people who had filed Form-7 objections.
It urged Gehlot to issue appropriate directions to the state government to ensure that “false and unwarranted” FIRs and criminal cases under the BNS are not registered against individuals, including BJP workers, in connection with the SIR exercise.
The delegation said such intervention was necessary to protect the integrity of the electoral roll revision process and maintain the “purity of elections”.
The BJP and JD(S) leaders on Monday had met Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar and accused the Congress government of “unduly interfering” in the SIR of electoral rolls, alleging that the police machinery was being misused to intimidate those filing objections through Form-7.
