CHANDIGARH: Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of political vendetta after his name was marked as “shifted” in the state’s draft electoral roll.Chadha, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an AAP nominee in 2022 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) this year, raised the allegation in a post on X on Thursday.He said his voter ID was registered in Mohali and questioned why his name had been classified as “shifted” in the draft electoral roll.“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.”“Thankfully, these are only the Draft Electoral Rolls, not the Final Electoral Rolls. Names are corrected during the ‘Claims and Objections’ process, which is ongoing. The Final Electoral Rolls will be published in October 2026. I am already in process of availing the remedies provided under SIR guidelines,” Chadha said in the post.“This does not seem like a mere clerical mistake. This is a clear case of political vendetta,” he added.“Who marked me as ‘shifted’?An official of AAP’s Punjab Government. Who verified that classification? Again, an officer of AAP’s Punjab Government. Who processed it at higher level? Once again, the same AAP’s Punjab Government official,” he added further.Chadha also alleged that officials involved in the electoral revision process were vulnerable to political pressure because their transfers and postings were controlled by the state government.“From the BLO on the ground to the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab, every operational level of this exercise is staffed by Punjab Government officials. The BLO is ordinarily a junior Punjab Government employee. The AEROs, EROs and DEOs in between are Punjab government officials. At the top is a Punjab-cadre IAS officer serving as the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab.These officers know AAP Government controls their transfers, postings and careers once their electoral duty ends. They know who can transfer them and who can make their lives difficult. This is how the AAP government applies political pressure through state officers to execute the political revenge.”He further alleged that other former AAP leaders who joined the BJP had also been targeted by the Punjab government.“Ever since I left the corrupt Aam Aadmi Party, its leadership has been burning with anger. It has unleashed the Punjab Police and the Punjab Government’s administrative machinery against those of us who refused to remain silent. Other MPs who left AAP and joined the BJP have also been targeted by Punjab Govt. This wrongful classification is only the latest act in that political vendetta.”Chadha also cited the Election Commission’s guidelines for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.He referred specifically to Paragraph 4(d), which he said provides for a “protected list” covering public representatives, among others.“More importantly, Paragraph 4(d) of the ECI’s Detailed Guidelines for SIR, create a ‘protected list’ for public representatives whose names are identified. This includes Judges, MPs and MLAs. It states:“All names of member of judiciary, public representatives, holders of declared offices and personalities from fields of arts, culture, journalism, sports, and public services etc. earlier flagged in the electoral database, are to be included in the Draft Electoral Rolls, so that necessary documents can also be collected during the period of Claims and Objections.”“I am a sitting Member of Parliament from Punjab. If at all my name was flagged, Paragraph 4(d) required my inclusion in the draft electoral rolls. The instruction was not overlooked. It was wilfully violated in my case.”“AAP may run the Punjab Government, but Punjab’s Draft Electoral Rolls are not its private property,” Chadha said.
AAP rejects allegation
The AAP rejected Chadha’s allegations, saying the Punjab government had no role in deciding whose names were included or deleted from the electoral roll.“Raghav Chadha has been caught by a National Daily English Newspaper, trying to get his voter registration made in Delhi through a backdated process, and is now attempting to put the entire blame on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Punjab government.The party said the SIR exercise was conducted by the Election Commission and not the state government.“SIR is conducted by the Election Commission, not the state government, so the Punjab Government has no role in deciding whose name is included or deleted from the electoral roll.It also claimed that Chadha was living in Delhi and said maintaining or shifting his voter registration was his responsibility.“It is a matter of public record that Raghav Chadha has been living in Delhi and not in Punjab. 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 AAP further alleged that Chadha was trying to register as a voter in Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar through a backdated process and called for an investigation.“At the same time, the AAP has received information from Election Commission sources that Raghav Chadha is trying to get his voter registration made in Rajinder Nagar, Delhi, through a backdated process. If any such backdated or unlawful exercise has taken place, it must be investigated and the entire truth brought before the public.The party also said it would pursue the matter if the BJP or anyone else had facilitated an alleged backdated entry.“If the BJP or anyone else has facilitated any such backdated entry, we will pursue the matter to its logical conclusion and expose the truth.”
20.66 lakh names removed from draft roll
The allegations come after the Election Commission published Punjab’s draft electoral roll in August as part of the second phase of the SIR exercise.Nearly 20.66 lakh voters were removed from the draft roll, accounting for 9.63% of Punjab’s 2.14 crore registered voters as of June 9, 2026.Key dates:
- Claims and objections window | Aug 13 to Sept 12
- Fill out Form 6 (for inclusion of names); young citizens turning eligible by the qualifying date of Oct 1, 2026, can also apply
More than 1.93 crore electors, or 90.37% of registered voters, submitted forms during the 40-day house-to-house enumeration exercise held across all 117 assembly constituencies between June 25 and August 3.Of the names removed, 9,44,131 voters were classified as permanently shifted, 5,74,568 as deceased, 4,12,715 as untraceable and 1,19,145 as duplicate entries.The claims and objections process began on August 13 and will continue until September 12. The disposal of claims and objections is scheduled for October 8.
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