New Delhi: A political controversy has erupted in Punjab after Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha alleged that his name was wrongly marked as a “shifted” voter in the draft electoral rolls released after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Chadha, who is registered as a voter in Mohali, questioned how his name could be classified as shifted despite being a sitting Member of Parliament from Punjab. He claimed the move was not a simple administrative mistake but a case of political targeting.
Chadha Alleges Political Vendetta
The AAP-turned-BJP leader accused the Punjab government of misusing the electoral process for political revenge. He questioned the role of state government officials involved in the voter revision exercise, including Booth Level Officers and election authorities.
Chadha said that under Election Commission guidelines, names of elected representatives should receive special consideration during the voter list revision process.
He alleged that the rules were ignored in his case and demanded answers from the authorities.
Election Officials Seek Report
Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra said she was not aware of any deletion of Chadha's name from the voter list. She stated that a detailed report would be sought from district election officials to understand the issue.
She also highlighted that the claims and objections process is still open, allowing voters to raise concerns regarding changes in the draft rolls.
AAP-BJP Political Battle Intensifies
The controversy has triggered fresh political sparring between AAP and BJP ahead of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
AAP leader Neel Garg rejected allegations against the Punjab government and claimed that the issue was being raised for political reasons. He also questioned BJP's stand on voter revision exercises in other states.
The final electoral rolls are expected to be published after completion of the claims and objections process.