Raghav Chadha Claims His Name Marked ‘Shifted’ In Punjab Draft Rolls At AAP’s Behest

CHANDIGARH, Sep 3: Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Thursday alleged that his name was marked as “shifted” in the draft electoral rolls in Punjab despite his voter ID being registered in Mohali, accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of using the electoral machinery for political vendetta.

Chadha, who joined the BJP after leaving the AAP in April, said his name was classified as “shifted” following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Punjab. He said he was availing remedies available under the SIR guidelines during the ongoing claims and objections process, with the final electoral rolls scheduled to be published in October.

“This does not seem like a mere clerical mistake. This is a clear case of political vendetta,” Chadha alleged in a post on X.

He questioned who marked his name as “shifted”, who verified the classification and who processed it at a higher level. He alleged that officials involved in the SIR exercise were susceptible to political pressure as their transfers, postings and careers were controlled by the state government.

Chadha also cited Paragraph 4(d) of the SIR guidelines, which he said provides for a “protected list” covering judges, MPs and MLAs, among others. He alleged that the provision requiring such names to be included in the draft rolls was “willfully violated” in his case.

The AAP rejected the allegations, saying the Election Commission conducts the SIR and the Punjab government has no role in deciding whose names are included or deleted from electoral rolls.

An AAP spokesperson claimed Chadha has been living in Delhi rather than Punjab and alleged that information from Election Commission sources indicated he was attempting to get his voter registration made in Rajinder Nagar, Delhi, through a “backdated process”.

The spokesperson said any such alleged irregularity should be investigated and the facts made public. (Agencies)