A fresh political controversy has erupted over BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s voter registration, after his name was added to Delhi’s electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
According to election officials, Chadha’s name was among 700 applications approved for inclusion across Delhi’s 70 Assembly constituencies till Tuesday. His name has subsequently been removed from the Punjab electoral rolls, from where he was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) nominee.
The development has now triggered a sharp confrontation between Chadha and his former party, with AAP questioning the procedure through which his name was added to the Delhi voter list.
Raghav Chadha Appears as 747th Voter in Rajinder Nagar Roll
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj has questioned the addition of Chadha’s name, highlighting an apparent change in the number of voters listed in the concerned polling part.
Bharadwaj claimed that the draft electoral roll published on August 31 contained 746 voters in the relevant Rajinder Nagar polling area. He alleged that Chadha’s name later appeared as the 747th voter.
According to Bharadwaj, the entry identifies Raghav Chadha, son of Sunil Chadha, aged 37, at serial number 747.
The AAP leader has sought clarification from the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the process followed to add the BJP MP’s name to the electoral roll.
“If the Election Commission explains this process, we can also tell the same process to the 47 lakh people whose names have been deleted from the draft electoral roll and who are trying to get their names added,” Bharadwaj said.
AAP Points to Chadha’s Earlier Punjab Statement
Bharadwaj also referred to a statement made by Chadha on September 3, when the BJP MP had said he would register as a voter in Punjab after his name was removed from the state’s draft electoral roll.
The latest inclusion of his name in Delhi has therefore become a political flashpoint, with AAP demanding to know how the subsequent electoral roll updation was carried out.
However, the Election Commission process allows eligible voters to apply for inclusion through prescribed forms, with applications subject to scrutiny by electoral registration authorities.
Raghav Chadha Hits Back at AAP
Chadha has rejected AAP’s allegations, describing them as baseless and asserting that he followed the applicable ECI rules and procedures.
Taking aim at his former party, Chadha accused AAP leaders of continuing to target him after his departure from the organisation.
“I seem to be haunting Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party. Day and night, all they think about is Raghav Chadha and how to attack him,” he said.
Defending his voter registration, Chadha said, “The facts are simple. I have followed all applicable ECI guidelines and procedures and availed the prescribed remedies.”
Chadha also accused AAP of confusing electoral rolls with its party membership system.
“AAP has confused ‘electoral rolls’ with its ‘party membership register.’ It wants to cut out everyone who walks away from Kejriwal and his corrupt AAP,” he said.
He further alleged that AAP had created a dedicated effort to target him following his exit from the party.
Delhi SIR: 2.14 Lakh Form 6 Applications Submitted
The controversy comes amid the larger electoral roll revision exercise underway in Delhi.
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer said the electoral roll was frozen on June 16 ahead of the SIR process and remained frozen until August 31, when the draft electoral rolls were published.
Around 2.14 lakh Form 6 applications seeking inclusion of names were submitted during the pre-SIR period.
During the subsequent claims and objections window, another 25,011 Form 6 applications were filed up to September 7, according to the CEO’s office.
Officials said Form 6 applications submitted during both periods are being processed alongside Form 7 and Form 8 applications. Once applications are approved, relevant additions, deletions and modifications will be reflected in the electoral database.
The supplementary list of newly added voters is scheduled to be published on November 4, along with the final electoral rolls.
For now, Chadha’s inclusion in Delhi’s voter list has opened another political battle, with AAP questioning the electoral roll updation process and Chadha maintaining that his registration was carried out in accordance with ECI procedures.
