Raghav Chadha claims name ‘shifted’ in Punjab draft electoral rolls; AAP denies role

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Thursday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of “political vendetta” after his name appeared under the “permanently shifted” category in the state’s draft electoral rolls prepared during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Chadha, a former AAP leader who joined the BJP a few months ago, said he was a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab and had his voter ID registered in Mohali.

His name reportedly appeared in the ASDD (absent, shifted, deceased and duplicate) list published on August 13. The Indian Express reported that he was listed under the “permanently shifted” category.

In a post on X, Chadha questioned how his name was classified as shifted and alleged that the move was politically motivated. He said he was taking recourse to the claims and objections process under the SIR guidelines, while rejecting the possibility of a clerical error.

“AAP may run the Punjab Government, but Punjab’s Draft Electoral Rolls are not its private property,” Chadha said.

AAP denies involvement

AAP rejected the allegations, saying the Punjab government has no role in deciding whose names are included or removed from electoral rolls.

An AAP spokesperson said the SIR is conducted by the Election Commission and not the state government. The party also accused Chadha of attempting to register as a voter in Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar through a backdated registration and said any such alleged irregularity should be investigated.

The controversy comes amid the ongoing revision of Punjab’s electoral rolls, with the draft list allowing voters to file claims and objections against proposed deletions.