At least 525 objections were filed against voters in Karnataka’s Bhalki constituency on September 24, with most of the targeted names belonging to Muslims, according to an analysis of Election Commission of India (ECI) data by The News Minute (TNM).
The objections were filed under Form 7 as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Form 7 allows a voter to object to the inclusion of their own or another person’s name in the electoral roll.
TNM reported that 20 people filed all but two of the 525 objections submitted in Bhalki on September 24. In most cases, the applicants claimed that the voters had either shifted permanently from the address or were already enrolled elsewhere.
The objections were filed in the final 48 hours before the September 24 deadline for claims and objections under the SIR process.
The latest data comes after TNM reported on September 26 that objections had been raised against the inclusion of around 3,909 people, most of them Muslims, in Bhalki and Babaleshwar constituencies. The two constituencies are represented by Congress ministers Eshwar Khandre and MB Patil.
TNM accessed the latest figures through Form 10 statements, which provide daily consolidated summaries of Form 7 applications received by electoral officials. The statements are uploaded on the ECI website and remain accessible for seven days.
The objections were filed by 38 people across multiple polling booths in Bhalki and Babaleshwar, with some individuals submitting dozens of applications.
Several voters whose names were targeted have disputed the claims made in the Form 7 applications and said they have lived at the same addresses for years or generations.
One of them is 56-year-old Vakeel Ahmed Munshi, who runs Zee Mobile near Sangamesh theatre in Bhalki and has operated the shop at the same location for 37 years. Ahmed’s name appeared in both the 2002 electoral roll and the 2026 draft roll.
Ahmed told TNM that he discovered that a man named Sangamesh had filed a Form 7 objection against him, claiming that he no longer lived at the address.
“People are deliberately targeting those from one community. How are they doing this? How can one person file objections against so many people?” Ahmed told TNM.
An analysis of Form 10 statements found that objections had been filed against 56 voters from polling booth 111 between September 22 and 24. Among those listed as objectors were Sangamesh, Pandu Ranga, Pandurang and Vijay Kumar. Pandu Ranga alone filed 40 of the objections on September 24.
Ahmed told TNM that he knew Sangamesh, who lives in a lane behind his house, but said he was unaware of his exact role.
Ahmed is currently the only member of his family whose name has been challenged through Form 7.
Another voter, Murtuja Maniyar, also had his name targeted. According to the Bhalki Form 10 statement dated September 23, Pandu Ranga sought the deletion of Murtuja’s name, claiming that he had permanently shifted from the area.
Murtuja said he did not know anyone named Pandu Ranga.
“We have lived in the same location for three generations, we haven’t even moved within the area,” Murtuja’s son Mufeet told TNM.
The concentration of objections against Muslim voters has prompted allegations from activists and political organisations that the SIR process is being used to disenfranchise members of the community.
The Association for the Protection of Civil Liberties (APCR) has emailed complaints to the Deputy Commissioner of Bidar district. Shazin Siddique of APCR told TNM that the organisation had not received a response as of the morning of September 26.
Welfare Party of India state president Taher Hussain also held a press conference in Bidar district and alleged that there was a systematic attempt to deny Muslims their voting rights.
Under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, claims and objections are subject to a prescribed procedure. Section 18 permits designated officers to accept or reject a Form 7 application without an inquiry unless a written request for an inquiry is made before the objection is accepted.
The ECI is scheduled to dispose of claims and objections by October 22, with the final electoral roll due to be published on October 27.
