Removed from Punjab, Raghav Chadha added to Delhi voters' list
What's the story
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha's name has been added to the Delhi voters' list, days after he alleged "political vendetta" behind his name being deleted from the Punjab draft rolls. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that Chadha illegally registered himself as a voter in Delhi after being struck off the draft SIR roll last month in Punjab, where he had been registered as a voter since 2024.
Electoral update
His name was added during the updation process
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office confirmed that his name was added through the updation process.
A total of 700 forms for inclusion in the electoral rolls were approved by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) across 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi till Tuesday, an official said.
However, his name wasn't on the draft roll for Booth No. 46 published by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on August 31.
Voter history
What is the issue?
Chadha was a voter at Booth No. 52 in Rajinder Nagar, Delhi, as per his 2022 Rajya Sabha election affidavit.
After entering the Rajya Sabha from Punjab, he changed his registration to Punjab and voted in SAS Nagar (Mohali) during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
When his name was removed from the Punjab draft voter list, he had said that was "in the process of availing the remedies provided under the SIR guidelines."
Counterclaims
ECI voter services portal showed 'no result found'
But when The Indian Express checked his electoral registration status in Delhi and Punjab on September 2, the Election Commission's voter services portal showed "no result found."
A subsequent search by the newspaper on the ECI portal showed Chadha enrolled at serial number 747 of Booth No. 46.
However, the draft electoral roll for the same booth, published by the ECI on August 31, ended at serial number 746 and did not include Chadha's name.
AAP
AAP raises questions
Speaking to the Indian Express, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned how Chadha's name could have been added to the Delhi rolls.
"Raghav Chadha ji himself was claiming that he is a voter from Punjab and would get his vote recast there. The Election Commission had also frozen the Draft Electoral Roll. In such a situation, how did Raghav Chadha ji's name get added to the voter list at the same booth in Delhi during SIR?" he asked.
Response
Chadha has responded
Chadha has responded to the AAP's allegations, saying he appeared to be "haunting Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party" and that its leadership was behaving "like a bitter ex who has just been dumped."
"The facts are simple and straightforward. I have followed all applicable ECI guidelines and procedures and availed the prescribed remedies," Chadha said in a statement.
The final electoral rolls are to be published on October 12 in Punjab and November 4 in Delhi.