Godda

Hundreds of people, including members of Muslim and Christian communities, held a protest in Mahuadanr block of Jharkhand on Thursday. They say Form 7 applications are being misused during the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists to target eligible voters.

Sanyukt Sarvdaliya Ekta Manch organised the protest. People marched through Mahuadanr with placards and sat outside the Sub Divisional Officer's office. A memorandum was handed over asking for a probe into the misuse of the voter deletion process.

Ajit Pal Kujur, district president of Congress ST Morcha, said BJP-linked people are filing Form 7 applications to get Muslim and Christian voters removed from the lists. He said such cases have been reported in areas like Pahadkapu and Amwatoli.

Another speaker, Khajimuddin, said objections are being filed against people who still live at their registered addresses. He asked for an investigation and legal action against anyone found filing false objections.

Protesters also raised concerns about Booth Level Officers. Manina Kujur said BLOs are being pressured to sign papers connected to Form 7 applications. The protesters want every deletion request to be properly checked before action is taken against a voter.

What the Election Commission has said

Election Commission has clarified that filing a Form 7 does not lead to automatic deletion. The Electoral Registration Officer must follow a set process including inquiry and hearing before making a final decision. The last date for claims and objections under the SIR process has been extended to September 30.

As of September 14, Jharkhand had received 5,689 Form 7 objections. Similar complaints were reported earlier in Godda, where district election authorities ordered an inquiry into Form 7 applications filed at a booth in Maheshtikri village.

Jharkhand officials are making the voter list checking process stricter. This follows reports of fake documents and unusual requests to remove names. In Pakur, police filed cases against people accused of using false address papers to get on the voter list. A local digital service operator is also being checked for helping provide these papers.

Stricter rules for voter records

Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar visited Ahut to look at records after receiving complaints. At the same time, people raised concerns in Godda about many requests to delete voters at once. Reports show that many of these requests were aimed at members of a specific community. This led to an investigation into Booth No. 9 in Maheshtikri. Officials must now remove ineligible names while making sure that real voters do not lose their right to vote.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha general secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey has replied to BJP claims about the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists. Pandey told the opposition to bring proof to the Election Commission instead of making political statements.

Election process details

He explained that updating voter lists is a job required by the constitution and managed by the Election Commission. Pandey also noted that BJP workers faced police cases for issues in districts like Godda and Garhwa. He warned against making people suspicious of certain communities and said that anyone with real concerns should use proper legal channels.

Police in Godda arrested local BJP booth agent Vinay Kumar Mandal after receiving complaints about mass voter name removals. This happened during the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in Jharkhand.

Local voter Mukarram Ansari filed a complaint. He claims Mandal submitted about 200 Form 7 applications to remove names from the list. These applications reportedly targeted Muslim community members, including a Booth Level Officer. Mandal is out on bail and denies doing anything wrong. He says he was just following party rules.

Investigation details

District Election Officer started an official inquiry into these claims. This situation shows why the voter revision process is delicate. It is very important to check every application sent to the Election Commission.

Authorities in Jharkhand started an inquiry after reports of many voter deletion requests in Godda. Booth-level officers raised concerns after getting many Form-7 applications. People use these forms to ask for name removals from electoral rolls. Reports suggest these forms were submitted by booth-level agents from BJP.

Local officials, including Basantrai Block Development Officer, confirmed that an investigation is happening. Initial checks at one booth showed that most people marked for deletion have lived in the area for a long time. This issue happened during the state Special Intensive Revision (SIR). That process already saw over 43.61 lakh names removed from the draft voter list.

Election Commission rules

Election Commission extended the deadline for filing claims and objections to September 15. Officials confirmed that no real voter will be removed from the lists without a proper checking process.

Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar has ordered police to file FIRs against five people for using fake documents to join the voter list. The inquiry looked into Pakur assembly area, where officials found that people used fake residence certificates to change the voter rolls.

Voter list investigation

A Common Service Centre worker named Mohammad Salim was also involved in creating these fake certificates. While visiting the Santhal Pargana region, the official confirmed that caste certificates were given out against the rules. He has told district election officers to check all documents carefully to keep the ongoing voter list review accurate.

Election Commission has moved the last date for claims and objections to September 15. The final voter list is now set for October 19. Officials are checking complaints in Sahibganj, Godda, Dumka, and Deoghar to make sure the records are right.