'EC should hoist BJP's flag': Akhilesh Yadav slams poll body over Form 7 'misuse'

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav took a vile dig at the election commission over alleged misuse of Form 7, saying the poll body should "simply hoist the BJP's flag."

The election commission issues Form 7 to accommodate an objection or request for deletion of a name from the electoral roll.




Alleging a coalition between the BJP and the poll body, the former Uttar Pradesh CM said that Form 7 was being completed and printed at the locations where the Samajwadi Party had won, and "disturbances have occurred at many of them."

"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," Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The SP chief further alleged that BJP won the Bihar election through use of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and is "trying" the same in poll-bound West Bengal.

"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.

The Election Commission has extended the deadline for filing claims and objections in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh until March 3, 2026.

The move follows a request from the state’s Chief Electoral Officer seeking additional time to enable citizens to submit their claims and objections. According to a letter issued by the Election Commission of India on February 5, the draft electoral rolls were published on January 6, 2026, and the original deadline for submissions was February 6.

Invoking Rule 12 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the Commission has now extended the window by nearly a month to facilitate wider public participation and thorough verification. The extension is intended to give citizens sufficient time to check their entries, seek corrections, raise objections, or apply for inclusion in the electoral rolls.
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