BJP booth agents file voter deletion forms against Muslim voters in Delhi’s Mustafabad

Millat Times Desk

31 October 2026 (Publish: 07:31 AM IST)

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A controversy has emerged over the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in Delhi after a report by The Hindu found that BJP-appointed booth-level agents (BLAs) had filed hundreds of applications seeking the deletion of Muslim voters’ names in the Mustafabad Assembly constituency, including people who continue to live at their registered addresses.

According to the report published on October 30, a total of 843 objections seeking deletion of names through Form 7 have been recorded in Mustafabad since August 31. Of these, 597 were filed by third parties, and BJP booth-level agents were named as objectors in 96 percent of these applications. As many as 572 applications reportedly targeted Muslim voters across 24 polling areas.

The report also highlighted the case of 28 Muslim residents in polling booth number 129 in the Dayalpur neighbourhood. 

Election Commission records reportedly identified BJP-appointed booth-level agent-2 Chandra Shekhar Nainwal as the applicant behind all 28 objections.

The applications cited reasons such as death, absence or permanent relocation. 

However, the affected residents said they continued to live at their registered addresses. 

At least 19 voters or their family members provided valid identity documents and confirmed their continued residence in the locality.

One of the affected residents, Sajid Hussain, who has lived in Dayalpur for more than 20 years, discovered that applications had been filed seeking the removal of his wife, Afsana Khatoon, and son, Asad Raza Zaidi, from the electoral roll.

The report also found that several BJP booth-level agents had submitted applications beyond the prescribed limit. 

Ten agents reportedly filed more than 30 forms each, while nine submitted over 25 applications.

BLA-2 agents are permitted to submit bulk applications under specific conditions, including providing declarations confirming verification of the details. However, officials told The Hindu that the required declarations were missing from the submissions.

The issue has also drawn attention to the Election Commission’s safeguards against wrongful voter deletion. An October 9 directive reportedly requires Electoral Registration Officers to take action against applicants found to have knowingly submitted false statements or fabricated declarations under the Representation of the People Acts.

The allegations come amid growing opposition criticism of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have previously questioned the transparency of Delhi’s voter-list revision. AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj had alleged that the party was not receiving adequate details of voters removed from the draft electoral rolls, making independent verification difficult. 

The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office rejected the allegation, saying political parties had been asked to obtain the necessary information through their booth-level agents.

Congress has also challenged the handling of Form 7 applications during the SIR exercise. Congress MP Tanuj Punia approached the Supreme Court over alleged large-scale misuse and fraudulent filing of deletion forms in Uttar Pradesh. During proceedings on October 30, the Election Commission told the court that although false Form 7 applications had been detected, none had been accepted and corrective measures had been taken.

The BJP has not issued a specific public response to the latest Mustafabad figures in the reports reviewed. However, the party has previously defended the SIR exercise, describing it as a necessary process to remove duplicate and ineligible entries from electoral rolls.

Meanwhile, questions remain over the verification of the applications and whether any of the affected voters will ultimately lose their place on the electoral roll. Filing a Form 7 objection does not automatically result in deletion; the electoral authorities must examine the claims and follow the prescribed procedure.