By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 4 Aug: Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya today termed the large number of allegedly suspicious objections filed through Form-7 for deletion of voters’ names in Bajpur Assembly constituency and several other Assembly segments across Uttarakhand as a well-planned attack on democracy. He has demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter and stringent action against those found responsible. In this regard, Arya has written a letter to Chief Electoral Officer Dr BVRC Purushottam strongly objecting to the large number of ‘suspicious’ deletion of voters in Bajpur and other constituencies in the state and has sought a high level probe in respect of the whole issue.
Arya said that an online examination of Form-10 dated 3 August 2026 revealed that Form-7 applications seeking deletion of the names of 93 voters have been submitted in Parts 27, 142 and 149 of the Bajpur Assembly constituency alone. He claimed that even more alarming is the fact that similar complaints have also emerged from several other Assembly constituencies in the state.
Arya alleged that the pattern prima facie points towards the involvement of an organised group or a coordinated network attempting to deprive eligible voters of their constitutional right to vote and influence the electoral process.
He said that, if attempts are being made to delete the names of thousands of voters on the basis of fraudulent objections, the issue can’t be dismissed as mere administrative negligence but amounted to a direct attack on the foundations of democracy. He asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party government must clarify under whose patronage such an organised exercise was allegedly being carried out in the state. In a democracy, he said, the voter is supreme and any attempt to curtail the rights of eligible voters would not be accepted under any circumstances.
Arya shared that he has written to the CEO, demanding that immediate directions be issued to all the Electoral Registration Officers across the state to identify the people, groups or other elements allegedly involved in filing false and malicious Form-7 applications. He urged that strict legal action be initiated against them under the provisions of the election laws and other relevant statutes.
He also demanded that all the objectors whose names appear in Form-10 dated 3 August 2026 be issued notices in Form-13, as prescribed under the rules, and that all the voters whose names have been sought to be deleted be mandatorily served notices in Form-14. This, he said, would ensure a fair and transparent hearing and prevent the unilateral deletion of the name of any eligible voter from the electoral roll.
The Leader of the Opposition further said that, if the inquiry establishes that a coordinated network has filed false objections with the intention of influencing the democratic process, an FIR should be registered immediately against those responsible and stringent punitive action initiated against them.
Arya asserted that the Congress is committed to protecting the constitutional rights of every voter in Uttarakhand. He said that, if an impartial inquiry is not ordered immediately and action is not taken against those responsible, the party would be compelled to launch a statewide public agitation to safeguard democracy, for which the government and the election machinery would be solely responsible. He further stressed that no conspiracy to remove the names of genuine voters from the electoral rolls would be allowed to succeed and that every individual attempting to undermine the democratic process would be brought within the ambit of the law.
