BJP Booth Agent Arrested in Jharkhand for Mass Voter Deletion Forms

A BJP booth-level agent in Jharkhand's Godda district was arrested and later released on bail after an FIR accused him of submitting around 200 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters' names during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The accused, Vinay Kumar Mandal, allegedly filed the forms for voters at Booth No. 231 in Pachrukhi village, Godda block. The complainant, Mukarram Ansari, and the Booth Level Officer (BLO), Sajida Bibi, both stated that all the applications targeted voters from the minority community. Notably, the BLO's own name and her husband's were among those listed for deletion.

The FIR was registered on September 3 at Godda Muffasil Police Station under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to forgery and intentional insult, and Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, which deals with false declarations during electoral roll preparation.

Ansari, himself a voter on the booth, said Mandal submitted the forms to Bibi on August 29. When villagers learned of the potential deletions, they informed senior officials. Mandal was later called to the village for questioning, where he reportedly claimed the forms were handed to him after a BJP BLA meeting.

Bibi said she refused to sign the forms without verification and later discovered they were all Form 7s, many targeting Muslim voters. BLOs are state government employees; Jharkhand is currently ruled by a JMM-Congress coalition.

Police Inspector Anand Sah confirmed the arrest on Thursday and Mandal's release on bail hours later. Mandal, however, alleged he was beaten and forcibly detained in the village for four hours before being rescued. He admitted knowing Form 7 could be used for objections but maintained he was acting on instructions.

Congress district secretary Akbar Ali, who visited the BLO's residence after hearing of the forms, said villagers decided to summon Mandal for questioning, leading to the complaint.

This incident follows an earlier investigation that revealed mass Form 7 submissions by BJP BLAs in Godda's Maheshtikri block, mostly against minority voters. BLOs at four booths had refused the forms and lodged complaints, prompting the District Election Officer to order a probe.

Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar said BLOs cannot refuse to accept forms, and deletions occur only after due inquiry.

Former Godda BJP MLA Amit Mandal accused rivals of "wrongfully holding" his BLA and alleged a lynching threat. He claimed RJD involvement, noting the party is part of the ruling coalition. RJD leader Rajnish Yadav, son of the sitting MLA, dismissed the allegations, saying no one harmed the BLA and accused the BJP of "stealing and then acting brazenly."