Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s name has been deleted from the Punjab draft electoral rolls prepared under the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR). His entry has been marked as ‘permanently shifted’.
His name appears in the ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Deceased and Duplicate) list published on August 13. The reason recorded against his entry was ‘permanently shifted’.
He is among 20.66 lakh voters, or around 9.7% of Punjab’s pre-SIR electorate, whose names have been deleted from the draft rolls.
Chadha alleged that the AAP leadership is “burning with anger” ever since he left the party and joined the BJP. He claimed that the Punjab government is using its administrative machinery against those who have left the AAP.
Alleges Punjab machinery was used against ex-AAP MPs
Chadha alleged that the Punjab Police and the state government’s administrative machinery had been used against those who left the AAP.
“Other MPs who left AAP and joined the BJP have also been targeted by Punjab Govt. This wrongful classification is only the latest act in that political vendetta,” he said.
He also pointed out that the SIR guidelines have a provision creating a “protected list” for public representatives, including MPs and MLAs.
Chadha alleged that this provision had been “wilfully violated” in his case. He said Punjab’s draft electoral rolls were “not the private property” of the ruling AAP.
Chadha: My voter ID is registered in Mohali
Reacting to the development, Chadha said his voter ID is registered in Mohali and questioned why he had been classified as ‘shifted’.
The MP said the electoral rolls are still at the draft stage and that he is already using the remedies available under the SIR guidelines.
“This does not seem like a mere clerical mistake. This is a clear case of political vendetta,” Chadha said in a detailed social media post.
He alleged that the AAP government was using the state’s administrative machinery against those who had left the party.
“Ever since I left the corrupt Aam Aadmi Party, its leadership has been burning with anger,” he said.
Joined BJP with six other AAP MPs
The 37-year-old MP quit the AAP and joined the BJP in April along with six other Rajya Sabha MPs.
Explaining his decision, Chadha said the AAP had “completely deviated from its principles, values and morals”.
The AAP, in turn, accused him of being “opportunistic” and questioned his absence from key political battles and protests.
Objections can be filed till September 12
The claims and objections window for the SIR is open until September 12.
The final electoral rolls are expected to be published in October 2026.
Voter deletion does not affect Rajya Sabha membership
The deletion of Chadha’s name from the Punjab voter rolls does not, by itself, affect his eligibility to continue as a Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab.
The requirement that a Rajya Sabha candidate must be registered as a voter in the state they represent was removed in 2003 through an amendment to the Representation of the People Act.
