BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has claimed that his name has been removed from Punjab’s draft electoral rolls prepared as part of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
According to Chadha, his entry in the draft rolls has been marked as “permanently shifted”, despite his voter registration being in Mohali, Punjab.
The BJP MP has alleged that the deletion is linked to political differences with the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab. He described the development as an act of “political vendetta” and questioned how his name could be classified as shifted while he continues to be a sitting Rajya Sabha member from the state.
“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.
Chadha said the issue could still be corrected because the SIR process provides voters with an opportunity to submit claims and objections before the final electoral rolls are prepared.
However, he expressed doubts that the development was simply an administrative or clerical error.
Calling it “a clear case of political vendetta”, Chadha alleged that officials associated with the electoral revision could face political pressure because their postings and transfers are controlled by the state government.
The BJP MP also linked the development to his decision to leave the AAP and join the BJP. He alleged that the Punjab government had targeted other former AAP leaders who subsequently moved to the BJP.
“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,” he said.
Chadha’s voter registration history
Chadha was originally registered as a voter in Delhi when he contested the 2022 Rajya Sabha election. Following his election to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab, his electoral registration was shifted to Mohali.
According to the report cited in the source, Chadha also cast his vote from Mohali during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The controversy has emerged during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls in Punjab. Since the current list is a draft, voters have the opportunity to raise objections and seek corrections before the final rolls are published.
The Election Commission’s revision process is intended to verify electoral records and update voter lists, while Chadha’s case has now triggered a political dispute between the BJP leader and the AAP government in Punjab.
