One more FIR over alleged fake Form-7 applications to delete 136 voters at Malleswaram in Bengaluru

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Office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Bengaluru. The complainant alleged that Deepak Singh, identified in the FIR as BLA-2, submitted Form-7 applications claiming that voters were either absent from their residence or had permanently shifted, even though they are residing in the constituency. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J

The Yeshwantpur police have registered an FIR against a BJP-linked Booth Level Agent (BLA-2) for allegedly submitting false Form-7 applications seeking deletion of 136 voters from the electoral rolls in Malleswaram Assembly constituency in Bengaluru.

The FIR was registered on October 5 based on a complaint by Anoop Iyengar, 47, a Congress leader and the party’s candidate from Malleswaram in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections.

This is the third such FIR registered in Bengaluru over the issue.

According to the complaint, the alleged irregularities surfaced during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Ward No. 45. The disputed applications relate to Booth No. 68 at Subedarpalya.

The complainant alleged that Deepak Singh, identified in the FIR as BLA-2, submitted Form-7 applications claiming that voters were either absent from their residence or had permanently shifted, even though they are residing in the constituency.

Police records state that 136 applications were submitted seeking deletion of voters’ names. The complainant also alleged that the signatures appearing on several Form-7 applications differed substantially from the signature of the purported applicants, raising suspicion that the signatures may have been forged.

The complaint alleged that Deepak Singh and his associates had conspired to identify voters and submit a large number of Form-7 applications with the intention of depriving eligible voters of their right to remain on the electoral rolls.

The Yeshwantpura police have registered Crime No. 309/2026 under Sections 319(2), 336(2), 340(2), 61(2)(b) and 217(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The case comes amid allegations of large-scale misuse of Form-7 applications during the revision of electoral rolls in Bengaluru. Police are expected to examine the disputed applications, signatures, and the circumstances in which they were prepared and submitted.

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