AAP government accused of using electoral machinery for ‘political revenge’
Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of political vendetta after his name was classified as “shifted” in the state’s Draft Electoral Rolls.
Chadha, who is a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab and has his voter registration in Mohali, said the classification was not a routine clerical error but an alleged attempt to target him politically.
However, he stressed that the rolls currently in question are only the Draft Electoral Rolls, with the Claims and Objections process still underway. According to Chadha, the Final Electoral Rolls are expected to be published in October 2026.
Chadha says he is using SIR remedies
Chadha said he is already taking steps under the remedies provided by the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) guidelines to challenge the classification.
While acknowledging that corrections can be made during the Claims and Objections process, the AAP-turned-BJP politician questioned how his name came to be marked as “shifted” in the first place.
He alleged that the process involved multiple levels of officials associated with the Punjab government.
‘Who marked me as shifted?’
In his statement, Chadha questioned who was responsible for marking his name as shifted, who verified the classification and who processed it at the higher level.
He alleged that officials at different stages of the electoral-roll exercise are Punjab government officials, including Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and District Electoral Officers (DEOs).
Chadha further alleged that these officials could face pressure because transfers and postings of state government employees are controlled by the state administration.
According to him, this creates the possibility of political pressure being exercised through the administrative machinery.
Chadha links row to his exit from AAP
The Rajya Sabha MP also connected the controversy to his political fallout with the Aam Aadmi Party.
Chadha alleged that since leaving AAP and joining the BJP, he and other former AAP leaders who switched sides have been targeted by the Punjab government.
He claimed that the latest electoral-roll controversy was another example of what he described as a broader campaign of political vendetta against former AAP members who have criticised or opposed the party.
MP invokes ECI’s ‘protected list’ provision
A key part of Chadha’s argument centres on Paragraph 4(d) of the Election Commission of India’s Detailed Guidelines for SIR.
Chadha pointed to the provision concerning a “protected list” of prominent individuals whose names are identified during the electoral-roll exercise. The provision covers categories including judges, MPs, MLAs and personalities from fields such as arts, culture, journalism, sports and public service.
He argued that as a sitting Member of Parliament, his name should have been included in the Draft Electoral Rolls even if it had been flagged, allowing him to submit the necessary documents during the Claims and Objections period.
‘Draft Electoral Rolls are not private property’
Chadha alleged that the provision was not merely overlooked but “wilfully violated” in his case.
The controversy now places the focus on how his name was classified in the draft rolls, what verification took place and whether the process followed the Election Commission’s prescribed guidelines.
While the electoral-roll revision process allows for corrections before the final publication, Chadha has framed the episode as a political issue, accusing the Punjab government of using state machinery against political opponents.
He ended his statement with a pointed message: “AAP may run the Punjab Government, but Punjab’s Draft Electoral Rolls are not its private property.”
