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Raghav Chadha’s Voter Roll Deletion Triggers Punjab Political Clash
Raghav Chadha’s name was missing from a temporary voter list in Punjab.
Officials marked him as someone who had permanently moved away.
Chadha says this was done deliberately because he changed from the Aam Aadmi Party to the BJP.
He also says rules should have kept a sitting Member of Parliament on the draft list while officials checked his documents.
The Punjab government and AAP deny doing anything wrong.
They say the Election Commission, not the state government, controls the voter-list review.
They also say Chadha mainly lives in Delhi and should have managed his voter registration.
Chadha can ask for his name to be restored before the final voter list is published.
Raghav Chadha’s name was deleted from Punjab’s draft electoral roll under the “absent, shifted, deceased and duplicate” category.
The entry was marked “permanently shifted,” despite Chadha saying he is a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab.
Chadha accused the AAP-led Punjab government of political vendetta and alleged that Election Commission guidelines were violated.
The Punjab government and AAP denied involvement, saying the revision is conducted by the Election Commission of India.
Chadha can file a claim or objection between August 13 and September 12, before Punjab’s final roll is scheduled for October 12, 2026.
- Who
- Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Punjab government and the Election Commission of India are involved.
- What
- Chadha’s name was deleted from Punjab’s draft electoral roll and marked “permanently shifted,” prompting allegations of political vendetta.
- Where
- Punjab, with Chadha’s voter-registration history also involving Delhi and SAS Nagar, or Mohali.
- When
- The Punjab draft roll was published on August 13, 2026; claims and objections are open until September 12, and the final roll is scheduled for October 12, 2026.
- Why
- Chadha says the deletion deliberately violated Election Commission guidelines, while AAP and Punjab officials say the Election Commission manages the process and that Chadha primarily resides in Delhi.
Chadha and BJP position
Punjab government and AAP position
Alleged political vendetta
Chadha and BJP position
Chadha says the deletion is a deliberate act of political revenge by the AAP government after his move from AAP to the BJP.
Punjab government and AAP position
The Punjab government and AAP reject the allegation as false and deny any role in deciding which names are included or deleted.
Compliance with Election Commission guidelines
Chadha and BJP position
Chadha cites guidelines saying public representatives should be included in draft rolls even when their records are flagged, so documents can be collected during the claims period.
Punjab government and AAP position
Punjab officials say the revision is conducted by the Election Commission through the Chief Electoral Officer, not by the state government.
Responsibility for voter registration
Chadha and BJP position
Chadha argues that, as a sitting MP from Punjab who voted in Mohali in 2024, he should not have been classified as permanently shifted.
Punjab government and AAP position
AAP says Chadha primarily lives in Delhi and that maintaining or transferring his voter registration was his own responsibility.
Key facts
- Deletion category
- Chadha’s entry appeared in the list of absent, shifted, deceased and duplicate voters, with the notation “permanently shifted.”
- Punjab deletions
- About 20.66 lakh names, or 9.7% of the pre-SIR electorate, were deleted from Punjab’s draft roll.
- Nationwide deletions
- An estimated 13.37 crore names were deleted nationwide during the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
- Claims deadline
- Affected voters can file claims or objections from August 13 to September 12, 2026.
- Final Punjab roll
- The final Special Intensive Revision roll is scheduled for October 12, 2026.
- Chadha’s voting record
- He declared Delhi voter registration in 2022 and voted in SAS Nagar, or Mohali, during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
- Legal eligibility
- Section 3 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, requires a Rajya Sabha candidate to be registered as an elector in a parliamentary constituency in India.
Quotes
Senior Punjab government official
Punjab government official who denied the state government’s involvement in the SIR exercise
“These allegations are completely false. The Punjab government has no role to play in the exercise. The CEO is an official appointed by the Election Commission of India.”
indianexpress.com
“SIR is conducted by the EC, not the state government, so the Punjab government has no role in deciding whose name is included or deleted from the electoral roll.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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