The political row over alleged voter deletions in Karnataka’s Belagavi has put the spotlight on Form 7 and the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Here is what these terms mean.

Form 7 is the Election Commission’s official document for objecting to a name on the electoral roll or seeking its deletion. It can be filed on grounds such as death, shifting of residence, duplicate enrolment or lack of citizenship.

Filing a Form 7 does not automatically delete a name. Electoral officials must verify each objection before deciding. Booth Level Officers check the claims, and the voter gets a chance to respond.

The Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is a door-to-door verification of voter lists that the Election Commission conducts to clean up rolls.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on October 1 that nearly 15,000 voters in Belagavi were targeted through bulk Form 7 filings over three days, September 22 to 24. He claimed Muslims, SCs, STs and OBCs were targeted.

Police have registered at least three FIRs over alleged irregularities in bulk filings, two in Belagavi and one in Bhalki, with more cases reported from Mysuru and Bidar.