Hyderabad, Oct 2026 : Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharsan Reddy has directed election officials to take appropriate action against individuals found knowingly submitting false statements or declarations in Form-7 applications seeking deletion of eligible voters from electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The directive comes amid concerns over bulk filing of Form-7 applications and allegations that some of the applications may not be genuine. The CEO has instructed officials to ensure that such cases are examined and dealt with under the provisions of electoral law.
Reddy issued the order to the Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, District Education Officer, Hyderabad, and all district Collectors and District Education Officers across Telangana.
According to the order, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have been asked to take action against applicants who knowingly make false statements or declarations in writing in Forms 6, 6A, 7 and 8. However, such action must be preceded by an inquiry as prescribed under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
“It has come to the notice of this office that there have been instances of filing of bulk applications in Form-7 before the EROs, and it is also alleged that such forms are not genuine,” the order stated.
The CEO directed officials to issue necessary instructions to EROs to take action against applicants who knowingly submit false information, in accordance with Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, following the prescribed inquiry process.
Election authorities across Telangana have so far received 28,753 Form-7 applications, including around 5,000 applications from Hyderabad. Form-7 is used by electors to object to the inclusion of a name in the electoral roll or seek deletion of a name on specified grounds.
The CEO’s directive comes against the backdrop of complaints by the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee’s electoral office, which approached the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, seeking registration of FIRs over what it alleged was misuse of Form-7 applications.
The Congress had raised the issue after bulk Form-7 applications surfaced in Hyderabad’s Musheerabad Assembly constituency on October 1. According to the complaint, pre-printed applications were allegedly submitted by a BJP booth-level agent seeking deletion of 31 electors from the rolls.
The applications allegedly included the names of a Congress booth-level agent and his family members. The Congress raised objections over the manner in which the applications were prepared and submitted.
The ruling party also complained about the alleged filing of pre-printed Form-7 applications in the Bahadurpura Assembly constituency.
In another instance cited by the Congress, the Booth Level Officer of booth number 173 in the Goshamahal Assembly constituency allegedly refused to accept bulk pre-printed Form-7 applications.
The Election Commission’s scrutiny of Form-7 applications is taking place as part of the ongoing SIR exercise, under which electoral rolls are being reviewed and updated.
The CEO’s latest order seeks to ensure that legitimate objections to electoral rolls are processed while action is taken against anyone found to have knowingly submitted false declarations. The prescribed inquiry process is intended to establish whether the statements made in the applications were knowingly false before any action is initiated.
