Election authorities in Karnataka processed more than 1.28 lakh applications for the removal of names from electoral rolls between May 14 and June 16. These requests were handled immediately preceding the commencement of the state's special intensive revision of voter lists.
According to official data, 45,878 of these Form 7 applications were submitted by third parties, representing 35.6% of the total volume. The figures also highlighted a trend of bulk filings, with 2,254 applications submitted by just 112 individuals.
Geographically, the activity was concentrated in specific regions, with at least 28 assembly constituencies reporting more than 1,000 deletion requests prior to the start of the official enumeration phase. Belagavi district saw the highest volume with 38,713 applications, followed by Bagalkot with 13,889 and Raichur with 10,454. Regarding the grounds for these requests, 36,439 applications cited the death of the voter, while 6,775 were attributed to permanent relocation or absence.
Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbu Kumar confirmed that all pending forms were processed up to the June 16 cutoff and were approved based on official documentation. However, the timing of the submissions has drawn scrutiny, as the applications were finalized before election officials could conduct standard verification through the formal enumeration process.
