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.
Even if a voter’s name is removed erroneously, the individual has the right to appeal and can also re-enrol through the prescribed process. He further claimed that the Supreme Court had recognised the ECI’s authority to seek additional declarations along with Form-6 applications for fresh voter registrations but the Congress party is misrepresenting court observations and is attempting to create confusion among people, he maintained.
Mr. Rao also targeted the AIMIM, alleging that the party had benefitted from “fake and bogus votes” and claiming that both the BRS and Congress had politically benefited from such arrangements. He asserted that while the voting rights of genuine citizens must be protected, illegal votes, including those allegedly belonging to Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants, should be removed from the electoral rolls.
CBI probe
In a separate press interaction, BJP Legislature Party leader A. Maheshwar Reddy demanded a CBI inquiry into alleged land scams during both the previous BRS government and the current Congress administration. Lands brought under Section 22A of the Registration Act without justification should be restored to their original owners, he said.
He questioned why the forensic audit report on the Dharani portal had not been made public and demanded that it be tabled in the Assembly. Alleging that both Congress and BRS governments were involved in land irregularities, he said the BJP would present detailed information on the alleged scams through a presentation at the party’s state office on October 10.
Published – October 06, 2026 07:20 pm IST
