Archive · 4 Sep 2026
AAP, Raghav Chadha Clash Over Punjab Electoral Roll Deletion
Raghav Chadha’s name was marked as “shifted” on a draft list of voters in Punjab.
This happened during a voter-list review called the Special Intensive Revision.
Chadha says his voter ID is registered in Mohali.
He also says the AAP-led Punjab government removed his name for political revenge.
Saurabh Bharadwaj of the AAP disagrees.
Bharadwaj says Chadha lives in Delhi, not Punjab.
He says the rules allow officials to remove people who no longer live at their registered address.
The two sides are arguing about where Chadha should be registered to vote and whether the deletion was political.
Raghav Chadha’s name was classified as “shifted” in Punjab’s draft electoral rolls during the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision.
Chadha alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government was pursuing “politics of revenge.”
Chadha said his voter ID was registered in Mohali and that he remains a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said Chadha lives in Delhi rather than Punjab and questioned his right to vote there.
Bharadwaj defended the SIR rules, saying they can remove voters who are not found at their registered addresses.
- Who
- Former Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha and AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj are at the center of the dispute.
- What
- Chadha’s name was classified as “shifted” in Punjab’s draft electoral rolls during a voter-list revision.
- When
- The dispute followed a report by The Indian Express on Thursday; no specific date is provided.
- Where
- The issue concerns Punjab, with Chadha’s voter ID reportedly registered in Mohali, and his alleged residence in Delhi.
- Why
- Chadha alleges political revenge by the AAP-led Punjab government, while Bharadwaj says Chadha does not reside at the Punjab address and therefore falls under the SIR rules.
Chadha’s Position
AAP’s Position
Reason for the deletion
Chadha’s Position
Chadha alleges that the AAP-led Punjab government removed or classified his name as “shifted” as part of political revenge.
AAP’s Position
Bharadwaj says the classification follows SIR rules because Chadha lives in Delhi rather than at his registered address in Punjab.
Right to vote in Punjab
Chadha’s Position
Chadha points to his voter ID being registered in Mohali and his position as a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab.
AAP’s Position
Bharadwaj questions why Chadha should have a vote in Punjab if he resides in Delhi, saying he has no moral right to be in Parliament.
Use of SIR rules
Chadha’s Position
Chadha’s accusations imply that the voter-list action was improperly politically motivated.
AAP’s Position
Bharadwaj defends the rules, saying they have also been used in Delhi to mark voters as “shifted” after they changed homes.
- Voter-list process
- Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision of Punjab’s electoral rolls
- Status of Chadha’s name
- Classified as “shifted” in the draft electoral rolls
- Chadha’s allegation
- The AAP-led Punjab government is engaging in “politics of revenge”
- Chadha’s stated position
- His voter ID is registered in Mohali and he is a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab
- Bharadwaj’s response
- Chadha lives in Delhi, not Punjab
- Relevant rule cited
- A voter’s name may be deleted if the person is not found residing at the registered address
- Related Delhi claim
- Bharadwaj said the same rules were used in Delhi to mark lakhs of voters as “shifted” after they changed houses