572 deletion applications against Muslim voters, BJP booth agents named in the majority of third-party objections: The Hindu investigation
October 31, 2026: With 28 Muslim voters targeted for deletion in Delhi’s Mustafabad, all found living at home found from The Hindu investigation, there were also 572 deletion applications against Muslim voters where BJP booth agents were named in the majority of third-party objections
A ground investigation by The Hindu in Delhi’s Mustafabad has raised serious questions about the use of Form 7 applications during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, after finding that Muslim voters targeted for deletion were continuing to live at their registered addresses.
In one polling booth in the Dayalpur neighbourhood, all 28 voters named in applications seeking deletion of their names were found living at home. The applications cited reasons including death, absence and permanent relocation.
According to the investigation, all 28 applications at polling booth 129 were attributed to Chandra Shekhar Nainwal, identified in Election Commission records as a BJP-appointed Booth-Level Agent (BLA-2).
The findings extend beyond one polling booth. Mustafabad recorded 843 objections since August 31. Of the 597 objections filed by third parties, 96 per cent reportedly named BJP booth-level agents as objectors. As many as 572 applications sought the deletion of Muslim voters across 24 polling parts.
The investigation also found that several booth-level agents had submitted unusually large numbers of applications, raising questions about compliance with Election Commission rules governing bulk submissions and verification.
The human consequences are illustrated by the case of Sajid Hussain, a Dayalpur resident who has lived in the locality for more than two decades. He discovered that applications had been filed seeking the removal of his wife, Afsana Khatoon, and son, Asad Raza Zaidi, from the electoral roll.
At least 19 of the 28 targeted voters or their families reportedly produced valid identity documents and were found residing at their registered addresses.
The central question now is whether the Election Commission’s verification mechanisms can prevent eligible citizens from being wrongly removed from electoral rolls.
A Form 7 objection does not automatically result in deletion. It must be examined and decided by the election authorities. The Commission’s own guidelines also provide for action against applicants who knowingly submit false declarations.
The figures that matter are:
- 843 objections filed in Mustafabad since August 31.
- 597 objections filed by third parties.
- 572 applications against Muslim voters.
- 28 voters named at one polling booth, all found living at their registered addresses.
The bigger story also reveals the vulnerability of the electoral process when objections can be filed against living citizens and the burden falls on those citizens to establish that they are alive!
JANPATH NEWS NETWORK (JNN)
Independent. Fearless. On the People’s Path.