State BJP chief defends Form-7 process

State BJP president N. Ramchander Rao on Tuesday defended the filing of Form-7 applications in the voter verification process, asserting that raising objections to suspected irregularities in electoral rolls is a legal right available to any citizen or Booth Level Agent (BLA) of a political party.

Addressing the media, Mr. Rao said that merely submitting a Form-7 application does not automatically result in the deletion of a voter’s name from the electoral rolls. “As a responsible political party, we have every right to submit forms seeking verification of votes. If anyone attempts to obstruct this legal process or files cases against our workers, the BJP will not remain a silent spectator,” he said.

The BJP leader said that under the Representation of the People Act and Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines, an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) must follow a due process before taking any decision on deletion of a voter’s name. This includes issuing notices to the concerned parties, sharing details with BLAs of all recognised political parties, conducting field-level verification and holding a physical hearing before arriving at a decision.