New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha have become embroiled in a fresh dispute over the revision of electoral rolls, with the party accusing Chadha of attempting to secure a voter registration in Delhi through what it described as a “backdated” process.
In a social media post, the AAP alleged that Chadha had been “caught” by a national English-language newspaper while trying to get his voter registration transferred to Delhi. The party also accused him of attempting to shift responsibility for the matter onto the Punjab government and the AAP.
The allegation followed a post by Chadha, in which he claimed that his name had been classified as “shifted” in the draft electoral rolls despite being a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab with his voter identification registered in Mohali.
Chadha described the development as political retaliation and questioned the decision to alter his status in the electoral records.
The dispute centres on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The AAP’s post pointed out that the revision is conducted by the Election Commission, rather than by a state government or political party.
The party also highlighted provisions concerning public figures and other individuals whose names had previously been flagged in electoral databases. According to the provision displayed in the post, such names may be included in draft electoral rolls, with supporting documents allowed to be submitted during the claims and objections period.
The exchange has added a political dimension to the ongoing debate over electoral-roll revisions and the procedures used to verify voters’ details.
Neither side’s claims, by themselves, establish that any wrongdoing took place. The issue is likely to remain contentious as the electoral authorities consider objections and supporting documents during the revision process.
