Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has alleged that his name was marked as “shifted” in the draft electoral rolls prepared following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Punjab, despite his voter ID being registered in Mohali.
Chadha accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of using the electoral machinery for political vendetta.
“The AAP government in Punjab has now taken its politics of revenge to the draft electoral rolls. I am a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, with my voter ID registered in Mohali, Punjab. Yet my name has been classified as ‘shifted’ in the draft electoral rolls,” Chadha said in a post on X.
“This does not seem like a mere clerical mistake. This is a clear case of political vendetta,” he alleged.
Chadha questioned who had verified his classification as “shifted” and who had processed it at a higher level, alleging the involvement of Punjab government officials.
The MP, however, noted that the rolls were still in draft form and that voters could seek corrections during the ongoing claims and objections process. “Thankfully, these are only the draft rolls, not the final rolls. Names are corrected during the ‘claims and objections’ process, which is ongoing. The final rolls will be published in October. I am already in the process of availing the remedies provided under the SIR guidelines,” he said.
Chadha, a former Delhi minister who switched from the AAP to the BJP in April, also accused his former party of targeting political opponents through the Punjab Police and the state’s administrative machinery.
“Ever since I left the corrupt Aam Aadmi Party, its leadership has been burning with anger,” he alleged.
The AAP rejected Chadha’s allegations, saying the SIR exercise is being conducted by the Election Commission and not the Punjab government.
“The Punjab government has no role in deciding whose name is included or deleted from the electoral rolls,” the party said.
The AAP further claimed that Chadha has been living in Delhi for long. "If he no longer resides in Punjab, maintaining or shifting his voter registration was his own responsibility. He cannot now blame the AAP or the Punjab government for the deletion of a voter entry," the party said.
