Raghav Chadha Calls Voter Roll Deletion Political Vendetta
Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s name has been deleted from the Punjab draft electoral rolls prepared under the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. His entry has been marked as “permanently shifted”, prompting Chadha to allege political vendetta by his former party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Chadha, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab as an AAP candidate in 2022, questioned the deletion of his name and said his voter registration is in Mohali. He asked why his entry had been classified as that of a voter who had permanently shifted.
The development comes months after Chadha left AAP and joined the BJP along with six other Rajya Sabha MPs. Since his departure, relations between Chadha and his former party have remained tense, with both sides trading accusations over the reasons behind his political switch.
Chadha’s name appears in the Absent, Shifted, Deceased and Duplicate (ASDD) list published on August 13. The reason recorded against his entry is “permanently shifted”. His name is among those of approximately 20.66 lakh voters, accounting for around 9.7 per cent of Punjab’s electorate before the SIR exercise, who have been deleted from the draft rolls.
Reacting to the move, Chadha said the matter did not appear to be a simple clerical error. He alleged that the deletion was part of a politically motivated action against those who had left AAP.
“Ever since I left the corrupt Aam Aadmi Party, its leadership has been burning with anger,” Chadha said in a social media post.
He further alleged that the Punjab government’s administrative machinery and police had been used against former AAP leaders who joined the BJP. According to Chadha, other Rajya Sabha MPs who also switched parties had faced similar targeting.
The 37-year-old MP left AAP in April and joined the BJP with six other Rajya Sabha members. Explaining his decision, Chadha had accused AAP of moving away from the principles, values and morals on which the party was founded.
AAP, however, responded by accusing Chadha of being opportunistic. The party also questioned his absence from several important political battles and protests.
The latest dispute has now brought Punjab’s electoral-roll revision process into the political spotlight. Chadha also referred to provisions in the SIR guidelines that provide for a “protected list” covering public representatives, including MPs and MLAs.
He alleged that the provision had been “wilfully violated” in his case and argued that Punjab’s draft electoral rolls could not be treated as the private property of the ruling party.
Claims And Objections Window Open Until September 12
The electoral rolls are still at the draft stage, and voters whose names have been deleted can raise claims and objections. The current window is open until September 12, after which the authorities are expected to publish the final electoral rolls in October 2026.
Chadha has said he is already using the remedies available under the SIR guidelines to challenge the deletion of his name.
The controversy, however, does not automatically affect Chadha’s position as a Rajya Sabha MP representing Punjab. The requirement that a Rajya Sabha candidate must be registered as a voter in the state from which they are elected was removed in 2003 through an amendment to the Representation of the People Act.
Therefore, while the deletion of Chadha’s name from the draft Punjab voter rolls could affect his status as a registered voter if it is not corrected, it does not by itself terminate his Rajya Sabha membership.
The issue is now set to remain part of the wider political confrontation between AAP and the BJP in Punjab, with Chadha continuing to allege that his electoral-roll deletion is politically motivated and the revision process moving towards its final stage.
