Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Form 7 controversy deepens strain on SIR 2.0 and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
The controversy has unfolded against a backdrop of already shifting timelines and mounting strain in SIR Phase-2. Initially rolled out across a dozen states and Union Territories in late October 2025, the exercise was scheduled to publish draft rolls in December and final rolls in early February.
Instead, extensions have followed one after another — in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala and Goa — sometimes after requests from state CEOs, and in some cases after nudges from the Supreme Court.
In West Bengal, lakhs of voters were served notices citing “logical discrepancies” in their records and asked to appear for hearings to establish eligibility. That process, already criticised for its scale and opacity, has now intersected with a reported surge in Form 7 applications ahead of final roll publication.
According to election officials, EROs and AEROs have now been instructed to dispose of all Form 7 objections — whether filed directly with them or routed through CEO and DEO offices — strictly in accordance with statutory procedures. The letter from ECI secretary Sujeet Kumar Mishra emphasised compliance not only with SIR guidelines issued on 27 October 2025, but also with the Supreme Court’s 9 February order.
On that date, the apex court permitted the extension of the objections window by a week from 14 February and directed the ECI to ensure expeditious resolution of claims and objections. The court’s intervention followed petitions raising concerns about compressed timelines and the burden on voters asked to respond to notices.
However, beyond questions of scheduling, the sharper political dispute centres on the scale and intent of Form 7 filings. Several political parties — including the Congress, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party — have alleged that bulk Form 7 applications were being deployed to target genuine voters for deletion by uploading inaccurate or misleading data. The Opposition has argued that such mass objections, if not rigorously scrutinised, could distort rolls in tightly contested constituencies.