Chandigarh, Agency
A political row has erupted in Punjab over the draft electoral rolls prepared under the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with BJP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha alleging that his name was wrongly marked as "shifted" and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing him of attempting to manipulate his voter registration in Delhi. Chadha, a former AAP leader who joined the BJP, said his voter registration was in Mohali, Punjab, despite which his name had been classified as "shifted" in the draft electoral rolls.
"This is not merely a clerical error. This is a clear case of political vendetta," Chadha said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. He said he had initiated the process of filing an objection under the SIR guidelines and noted that the draft rolls were not final. The final electoral rolls are expected to be published in October 2026. Chadha alleged that Punjab government officials had marked and processed his name as "shifted" under pressure from the AAP government. "Who marked me as 'shifted'? An officer of the AAP Punjab government,"
Chadha said, adding that the classification was also confirmed and processed by government officials. He further alleged that officials involved in the electoral process, from booth-level officers (BLOs) to the Chief Electoral Officer, could face transfers and postings controlled by the state government after election-related duties. "Thus, the AAP government uses political pressure through state officials to carry out political vendetta," Chadha alleged.
He also referred to the Election Commission's SIR guidelines, claiming that paragraph 4(d) provides a "protected list" for elected representatives whose names are flagged, including judges, MPs and MLAs. AAP rejected Chadha's allegations and said the SIR exercise was conducted by the Election Commission, not the state government.
"SIR is conducted by the Election Commission, not the state government. Therefore, the Punjab government has no role in deciding whose name will be added to or removed from the voter list," the party said in a post on X. AAP also claimed that Chadha no longer lived in Punjab and said maintaining or transferring his voter registration was his responsibility. The party further alleged that it had received information from Election Commission sources that Chadha was trying to register as a voter in Delhi's Rajinder Nagar through a "backdated process".
"If any such backdated or illegal process has taken place, it should be investigated and the complete truth should be brought before the public," AAP said. The party added that if BJP or anyone else had helped facilitate such an entry, it would pursue the matter "to its logical conclusion". The competing allegations come while the claims and objections process for the draft electoral rolls is under way. Neither side has publicly established the other's allegations as fact, and the final electoral rolls are yet to be published.
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