Can a neighbour or software delete your vote? Election Commission's Form 7 explained

Intensifying his charges against the Election Commission of India, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that there was large-scale deletion of voter names in areas that were Congress bastions during the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

The senior Congress leader claimed that software was being used to delete names from the voters' list in a coordinated manner, rather than deploying individuals to do the job manually.

Backing up his claims in the run-up to what he called the "hydrogen bomb," Gandhi said there had been an attempt to delete nearly 6,000 names in Karnataka's Aland constituency, a move uncovered purely by coincidence.

Even as the political squabbling continues, here's what you need to know about the process of voter deletion from the list, which is a perfectly legal procedure as defined by the Election Commission of India.

Deletion or inclusion of a name in the voter list of a constituency is done by submitting Form 7. As per the form, details such as the name of the Assembly/Parliamentary constituency, EPIC number, reason for the deletion of the voter, name and address of the person making the request, and a duly signed declaration must be submitted to the Electoral Registration Officer.

The local BLO is also supposed to give an acknowledgment of the form submitted by an individual.

What are the reasons that can be cited for deletion of name in Form 7?

• Shifting from one AC to another AC.
• Missing of voter at given address.
• Duplication of voter’s identity.
• Death of the voter.
• Not Indian citizen

Addressing media in New Delhi, Gandhi said, "the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Gyanesh Kumar, needs to stop protecting the people who are destroying Indian democracy. We have given you 100% bulletproof proof here. EC has to release this data of these phones, these OTPs, within a week... In Rajura, Maharashtra, 6815 targeted voters were added. In Aland, we caught deletions, in Rajura, we got additions, but the basic idea is the same... It's the same system that is doing this. It's doing it in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana, UP, and we have proof of all that."

Can a software delete your votes in ECI database?

In his Thursday presser, Rahul Gandhi alleged that fake applications were filed using phone numbers of individuals without their knowledge. But as per the rules, this does not mean that software can strike off your votes. At best, it can flood the system with applications to delete votes. But under current system, the ECI database can't be accessed by a software to delete the voter rolls automatically.

What if a neighbor applies to get your name deleted from the ECI roll?

As per the legal framework provided by the Election Commission, an elector of any constituency can file his or her objection via Form 7 for deletion of a name in the same area. The Electoral Registration Officer scrutinizes each application, and the person whose name is to be struck off is given notice. An on-ground verification is carried out before finalizing the deletion from the voter list.