New Delhi: The misuse of Form-7 has led to genuine citizens being harassed during the Special Revision (SR) in Assam ahead of the upcoming polls in the state, opposition parties have alleged as per a report by the Times of India.Form-7 enables a voting citizen to file an objection to another person’s inclusion in the electoral list, or can be used to file a request to delete their own or another’s name in the list due to death or change of residence. In a joint statement, Left parties – CPI(M), CPI, CPIML), Forward Bloc and SUC|(C) – said that Form-7 was being used to target minority voters, the ToI report said. According to the report, the Congress has also filed a police complaint in Boko-Chhaygaon against local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and officials over alleged unauthorised deletions and inclusions. Per the report, opposition parties on Friday (January 23) urged the election commission to ensure that no eligible voter is removed during the ongoing revision as a result of the “misuse” of Form-7. They also sought an extension of the Feb 2 deadline for disposal of claims and objections. ‘Form-7 does not mean automatic deletion of names’Per the ToI report, the state election department clarified in a public advisory that filing a Form-7 does not lead to the automatic deletion of names. Each objection is subject to a strict legal process, including field verification and serving notice to the elector concerned and they will be given an opportunity to be heard before any decision is made, the report said.“No name can be deleted from the electoral roll without following the prescribed legal procedure. Electors are advised not to be apprehensive and to cooperate with verification officials when contacted,” the report quoted the advisory as saying. “Any elector whose name is proposed to be deleted will be duly informed and given full opportunity to present their case,” it added.According to the report, the advisory urged electors to provide correct information while submitting applications under Forms 6, 7 and 8, warning that false declarations or knowingly retaining incorrect entries constitute offences punishable under law, including Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The revision exercise ‘aims to ensure a clean, accurate and inclusive electoral roll, and no elector should feel apprehensive’, the report quoted the department as saying. It added that any person aggrieved by inclusion, exclusion or correction of entries can turn to statutory remedies under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.Applications of all objections will be disposed of by February 2, and the final rolls are to be published on February 10. ‘Hurried and extremely haphazard’However, this is just not enough time, several politicians have criticised. On Friday Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev had written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar that the Special Revision of electoral rolls in Assam conducted by his office was “not only hurried but extremely haphazard”. Dev had raised the issue of Form-7 in her letter, highlighting that “huge amounts of objections” had been filed under Form 7 to delete the names of individuals. “These Form 7 objections for deletion of names have been filed by persons in bulk, and in most cases, the complainant, who is named in the form, is either untraceable or has denied filing these forms,” her letter said.“To serve each and everyone a notice and hold a hearing within 11 days is an impossible task which is bound to deprive genuine voters from an effective hearing and consequences will be loss of their democratic rights to vote. There is a state of panic, distress and anger amongst the genuine voter.”One of Dev’s demands was that the Election Commission extend the date for hearings and disposal by another seven days to ensure that people get a fair opportunity to defend their right to vote.My letter to Chief Election Commisioner of India @ECISVEEP about extending the time for hearings of Form 7 objections/deletions & co relating data with the NRC list released in 2019 in Assam.I have given specific examples of @BJP4Assam workers filing form 7 in bulk with fake… pic.twitter.com/leCzE4eMKl— Sushmita Dev সুস্মিতা দেব (@SushmitaDevAITC) January 23, 2026Three weeks ago, Assam’s leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia had already written to CEC Kumar, alleging “serious irregularities” in the draft electoral rolls of the state that was published after the Special Revision, per a report by The Hindu.CM denies concernsHowever, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma denied that there were any concerns regarding the special revision and said there was no controversy. Per ToI, Sarma strongly defended the ongoing process, saying the notices are being served only to “miya” Muslims – Muslims of Bengali origin residing in lower Assam – and not to indigenous communities.“There is no debate over SR [Special Revision]. Which Hindu family has received a notice? Which Assamese Muslim household has seen a notice?” ToI quoted him as saying. “We have to issue notices to miyas living here. There is nothing to hide. I am troubling them.”He said the notices were part of a “broader tactic” to keep alleged “illegal immigrants” under pressure. “They have to understand that at some level, people of Assam are resisting them. Otherwise, they will get a walkover. That’s why some will get notices during SR, some for eviction, some from border police (relating to citizenship). We will do some utpaat [disturbance], but within the ambit of law…we are with the poor and downtrodden, but not those who want to destroy our jati [community],” ToI quoted Sarma as saying.