‘Silent Erasure’: Prakash Raj Alleges Form 7 Used to Delete Muslim Voters Across 23 Karnataka Districts

New Delhi: Actor and activist Prakash Raj on Thursday alleged that Form 7 is being used to delete the names of Muslim voters from electoral rolls in Karnataka, calling it a “silent erasure” of the voices of people across 23 districts of the state who cannot reach Delhi.

Addressing a press conference at the Press Club of India, Raj, a vocal critic of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claimed the statutory form meant for objections or deletions was being misused to target minority voters. He framed the alleged pattern as part of a larger process that silences sections of the electorate far from the national capital.

This is not the first time he has raised the issue. In late September, during a “SIR Resistance Tour” in Karnataka, Raj alleged that Form 7 applications were being used in an attempt to remove around 21,000 Muslim names across the state, terming it “Operation Kamala through Form 7.” He cited a Belagavi case in which about 200 Form 7 applications submitted at one booth sought the deletion of only Muslim voters. According to him, the targeted voters’ details were pre-printed on the forms while the objectors’ names and phone numbers were handwritten. Some of those who brought the forms reportedly said they had come from “the corporation” or received them “from above,” and a local BJP activist whose signature appeared later denied knowledge of the submissions.

Independent reports have documented bulk Form 7 filings in Karnataka during the SIR claims-and-objections window. One account noted over 91,000 such forms filed in the state between mid-June and early October, with FIRs registered against several individuals, including a BJP leader in Belagavi over 198 Muslim names and others in Bidar. Similar patterns of concentrated objections against Muslim electors have also been reported in Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.

The Election Commission has since capped the number of Form 7 applications an individual may submit to 10 during the revision period to curb bulk filings. Karnataka election authorities have stated that no names will be deleted on the basis of Form 7 without a hearing. Raj has repeatedly demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and described the SIR as a flawed exercise that risks disenfranchising sections of the electorate.