Form 7 controversy intensifies in Karnataka as BJP leader Ravi Patil is booked over an alleged bid to delete 198 Muslim voters during the ongoing SIR electoral-roll revision.
Qalam Times News Network
Bengaluru/Belagavi | October 2, 2026
Form 7 applications have become the centre of a fresh political and legal dispute in Karnataka, after police registered an FIR against BJP functionary Dr Ravi Patil and several others over an alleged attempt to seek deletion of 198 voters from the electoral roll in Belagavi. According to the police complaint, the voters allegedly targeted through the applications belonged to the Muslim community.
The Form 7 controversy comes amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, where the Congress government has accused unidentified political actors of using bulk applications to challenge the names of eligible voters. The allegations have triggered a wider confrontation between the Karnataka Congress government and the Election Commission over the handling of the voter-list revision exercise.
FIR Names Ravi Patil and Others in Belagavi Form 7 Case
The Belagavi Market Police registered the FIR on September 30 following a complaint linked to the SIR verification process. Police records cited in reports name Ravi Patil along with Shankar Beerappa Naik, Prashant Deepak Mundinmani and around 20–25 other people in connection with the alleged attempt.
According to the complaint, the alleged incident took place on September 22 in polling Parts 195 and 196 in Veerabhadra Nagar under the Belagavi North Assembly constituency. The complaint alleges that applications seeking deletion of 198 voters’ names were prepared using false information and allegedly forged documents.
Police have invoked several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in the case, including sections relating to cheating, forgery, use of false documents and criminal conspiracy. The investigation is continuing.
Importantly, the FIR concerns an alleged attempt to seek deletion of the voters’ names. It does not establish that all 198 names were actually removed from the electoral roll. Any deletion is subject to the Election Commission’s prescribed verification and decision-making process.
The complaint states that local residents questioned Patil and others after allegedly noticing applications being prepared or submitted to remove voters from the rolls. It further alleges that the accused attempted to put pressure on Booth Level Officers and used documents said to contain false or fabricated information.
The FIR also contains an allegation that the applications were intended to create a situation in which deletion of the names of Muslim voters could lead to public tension. That is an allegation contained in the complaint and will have to be examined during the police investigation.
Ravi Patil is a BJP functionary who has previously contested the Belagavi North Assembly constituency. BJP MP Jagadish Shettar has criticised the registration of cases, arguing that party leaders and workers should not face criminal proceedings merely for raising objections during the SIR exercise.
Karnataka Congress Steps Up Attack Over Bulk Applications
The Belagavi case has emerged as part of a broader dispute over alleged bulk filing of Form 7 applications in Karnataka.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has accused BJP and JD(S)-linked workers of attempting to remove large numbers of eligible voters through the SIR process. He has alleged that pre-filled applications were being circulated and claimed that minority communities, Dalits, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and backward-class voters were among those allegedly being targeted. These are political allegations and remain subject to investigation.
On Thursday, Shivakumar led Congress ministers, legislators and party leaders in a protest outside the office of the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer in Bengaluru. The delegation demanded criminal action and a time-bound investigation into alleged fraudulent applications.
The protest ended after Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukkumar directed Electoral Registration Officers to initiate action against applicants found to have knowingly submitted false claims or declarations in electoral forms, including Form 7.
The Chief Electoral Officer’s directive followed complaints about bulk Form 7 submissions during the SIR process. Officials have been asked to take action where applicants are found to have knowingly made false statements or declarations in writing.
The Election Commission has also indicated that complaints involving questionable applications will be examined through the established electoral-roll process. Separately, police investigations are proceeding in cases where FIRs have already been registered.
Several FIRs have reportedly emerged from different parts of Karnataka, including Belagavi, Bidar and Mysuru, amid allegations of irregular or fraudulent Form 7 applications.
SIR Has Triggered a Larger Political Battle
Karnataka’s SIR exercise has become a major political flashpoint. The revision began on June 30, 2026, with the state’s electoral authorities undertaking a large-scale verification and mapping exercise.
Earlier figures released during the process showed that approximately 5.54 crore electors had been mapped, while around 1.07 crore names were placed in the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Other (ASDDO) category for further scrutiny. About 43.8 lakh electors were expected to receive notices for verification.
Shivakumar has since alleged that a further large number of voters could face attempts at deletion through Form 7 applications. He has put the figure at tens of lakhs, but those claims are political allegations and should not be treated as established findings without supporting investigation.
The Election Commission, meanwhile, has directed officials to act where applicants knowingly make false declarations. The developing cases will therefore be closely watched as Karnataka’s SIR process moves forward.
For now, the Belagavi FIR represents an allegation under investigation—not a judicial finding of guilt against Ravi Patil or the other accused.
