BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government of political vendetta, alleging that his voter record in Mohali was marked as "permanently shifted" in the draft electoral rolls prepared under the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Chadha, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab as an AAP member in 2022, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in April this year along with six other AAP MPs under the anti-defection merger provision.
Taking to X, Chadha alleged that the AAP government had taken its "politics of revenge" to the electoral rolls.
"I am a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, with my voter ID registered in Mohali, Punjab. Yet my name has been classified as 'shifted' in the draft electoral rolls," he said.
However, Chadha stressed that the rolls were still in draft form and that the ongoing Claims and Objections process allows corrections to be made. He said the final electoral rolls are expected to be published in October 2026.
"Thankfully, these are only the Draft Electoral Rolls, not the Final Electoral Rolls," Chadha said, adding that he was already availing the remedies available under the SIR guidelines.
Chadha alleges political vendetta
Chadha claimed that marking his name as "shifted" was not a clerical error but a "clear case of political vendetta".
"Who marked me as 'shifted'? An official of AAP's Punjab Government. Who verified that classification? Again, an officer of AAP's Punjab Government. Who processed it at higher level? Once again, the same AAP's Punjab Government official," he alleged.
He also questioned the role of state government officials involved in the electoral revision process, including Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and District Election Officers (DEOs).
According to Chadha, these officials are vulnerable to pressure because their transfers and postings are controlled by the state government.
"This is how the AAP government applies political pressure through state officers to execute the political revenge," he alleged.
The BJP leader further claimed that the action was part of a broader pattern of targeting leaders who had left the AAP and joined the BJP.
He alleged that the Punjab Police and administrative machinery had also been used against former AAP leaders who had refused to remain silent.
"This wrongful classification is only the latest act in that political vendetta," Chadha said.
Chadha cites Election Commission SIR guidelines
Chadha also referred to Paragraph 4(d) of the Election Commission of India's Detailed Guidelines for SIR, which he said provides for a "protected list" of public representatives whose names have been flagged during the electoral revision process.
The provision states that names of members of the judiciary, public representatives, holders of declared offices and personalities from fields including arts, culture, journalism, sports and public services that were earlier flagged in the electoral database are to be included in the Draft Electoral Rolls so that the necessary documents can be collected during the Claims and Objections period.
Chadha argued that as a sitting Member of Parliament from Punjab, his name should have remained in the draft electoral rolls even if it had been flagged.
"If at all my name was flagged, Paragraph 4(d) required my inclusion in the draft electoral rolls. The instruction was not overlooked. It was wilfully violated in my case," he said.
"AAP may run the Punjab Government, but Punjab's Draft Electoral Rolls are not its private property," Chadha added.
Raghav Chadha to represent India at global young MPs meet in Uzbekistan
Meanwhile, Chadha has been nominated to represent the Indian Parliament at the 12th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 4 to 6.
Sharing the announcement on X, Chadha thanked Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan for selecting him as part of the Indian delegation.
The conference, organised by the IPU, will be held under the theme "Reclaiming human rights, justice and dignity for all in turbulent times".
Young parliamentarians from across the world will deliberate on issues including youth rights in conflict, digital rights and online safety, climate resilience and justice, and economic opportunities for young people.
Chadha said India, as the world's largest democracy and one of the countries with the youngest populations, has both experiences to share and lessons to learn on these issues.
He also noted that the conference comes soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Uzbekistan, saying India's participation could help strengthen parliamentary ties between the two countries.
The IPU, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Geneva, is the world's oldest and largest international organisation of national Parliaments, with 180 Member Parliaments and 15 Associate Members.
