BHUBANESWAR: The BJD on Wednesday urged the chief electoral officer to take immediate action on the alleged misuse of Form-7 to delete the names of genuine and eligible electors, particularly of the minorities, during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR).
In a memorandum submitted to the additional chief electoral officer, the BJD Minority Cell alleged that complaints have been received on the filing of Form-7 applications against genuine electors, particularly Muslims, Christians, Buddhists among eligible citizens.
The memorandum said as the claims and objections period under SIR ended on August 19, the prescribed legal procedure should be followed and no genuine elector should be deleted. Before deleting any name, notice must be served upon the elector concerned and opportunity must be provided to present his or her case, it added.
The party demanded that Form-7 applications and proposals for deletion being processed after August 19, should be subjected to special scrutiny. Constituency-wise and booth-wise verification of Form-7 applications should be undertaken in areas having a substantial minority population, it added.
The BJD has urged the CEO to consider the matter seriously and direct all DEOs and EROs in the state to conduct impartial verification wherever complaints are being received.
The BJD delegation comprised senior leaders Sheikh Nizamuddin, Rizwana Begum, Susanta Rout, Lenin Mohanty and Bijay Nayak, among others.