"EC should hoist BJP's flag": SP chief Akhilesh Yadav alleges 'misuse' of Form 7

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 8 (ANI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday accused the Election Commission of 'misusing' the Form 7 (used to object to the inclusion of a name or to request the deletion of an existing name from the electoral roll), to alter his party's vote share.
Yadav, alleging "coalition" between BJP and Election Commission, said that the poll body should "simply hoist the BJP's flag."
"At the last press conference, we raised questions about Form 7, and the government has engaged agencies and professionals based in Delhi, Lucknow, and other parts of the country. They have the complete voter list and are using it to identify the booths where the Samajwadi Party won the elections. Form 7 is being completed and printed at these locations, and disturbances have occurred at many of them," he said.
"They (the BJP) have already won the Bihar elections through the use of Special Intensive Revision (SIR)... They are now trying the same approach in West Bengal with SIR. The state government and the Chief Minister there repeatedly claim that the Election Commission has become the BJP's commission... The Election Commission should simply hoist the BJP's flag," he added.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has extended the period for filing claims and objections in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh until March 3, 2026.
The decision comes in response to a request from the state's Chief Electoral Officer to allow additional time for citizens to submit their inputs.
According to an ECI letter dated February 5, the extension follows the publication of draft electoral rolls on January 6, 2026. Originally, the window for filing claims and objections was scheduled to close on February 6. However, under Rule 12 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Commission has now extended the period to March 3, 2026, to facilitate thorough verification and public participation.
The extension aims to ensure that citizens have adequate opportunity to verify their entries, raise objections and claim inclusion of eligible voters in the electoral rolls. (ANI)