Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has alleged political vendetta after his name was removed from Punjab’s draft electoral rolls and marked as “permanently shifted.” The deletion occurred during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision exercise. Chadha, who was elected to the Upper House as an Aam Aadmi Party nominee from Punjab in 2022 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in April 2026, has described the move as an act of revenge by the AAP leadership. The party and Punjab government officials have rejected the charge, stating that the revision is conducted by the Election Commission and that the state has no role in deciding individual deletions.
Details of the Deletion
Chadha’s name appears in the Absent, Shifted, Deceased and Duplicate list published on August 13 as part of the draft rolls. The specific reason recorded against his entry is “permanently shifted.” He is among approximately 20.66 lakh voters, representing about 9.7 percent of Punjab’s pre-revision electorate, whose names were removed at the draft stage.
The Special Intensive Revision is a nationwide exercise aimed at cleaning electoral rolls by identifying and removing entries of voters who are absent, have shifted residence, are deceased, or appear as duplicates. In Punjab, the draft list triggered political debate after several high-profile names, including Chadha’s, featured among the deletions. The window for filing claims and objections remains open until September 12, after which the final rolls are scheduled for publication in October.
Chadha has stated that his voter identity card is registered in Mohali and that he exercised his franchise from a booth in SAS Nagar during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He has argued that classifying a sitting Rajya Sabha member representing Punjab as permanently shifted cannot be treated as a routine administrative correction.
Chadha’s Allegations of Vendetta
In public statements, Chadha has linked the deletion directly to his decision to leave the Aam Aadmi Party. He claimed that ever since he and other Rajya Sabha members exited the party and joined the BJP, the AAP leadership has been “burning with anger.” According to him, the Punjab government has used its administrative machinery, including the police and officials involved in electoral verification, to target those who switched sides.
Chadha has further contended that state government officials, aware that the AAP controls their postings and career prospects, carried out the classification under political pressure. He has pointed to Election Commission guidelines that provide for a protected list of public representatives. Under those guidelines, he argued, if a sitting legislator’s name is flagged, it should still appear in the draft rolls so that the individual can submit documents during the claims and objections period.
He has emphasised that the current list is only a draft and that he is already taking steps under the prescribed remedies to ensure his name is restored in the final rolls.
AAP and Government Response
The Aam Aadmi Party and senior Punjab government officials have firmly rejected the allegation of political interference. They have stressed that the Special Intensive Revision is an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India and that the state government has no authority to include or delete names from the electoral rolls.
AAP spokespersons have noted that Chadha has been living in Delhi for a considerable period and that maintaining or updating voter registration is the responsibility of the individual voter. They have argued that he cannot shift the onus onto the Punjab government or the party for the outcome of a process overseen by the Election Commission. Some statements from the party have also referred to information suggesting attempts to seek registration elsewhere, though Chadha has denied any such intention and maintained that his vote remains linked to Mohali.
Officials have underlined that large-scale deletions are a feature of the ongoing nationwide revision and that similar exercises in other states have also resulted in substantial removals of entries found to be inactive or shifted.
Broader Context of the Revision Exercise
The Special Intensive Revision has led to the removal of a significant number of names across the country. In Punjab alone, the draft stage accounted for more than 20 lakh deletions. Categories include permanently shifted voters, deceased persons, untraceable entries and duplicates. The process is designed to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls ahead of future elections, but it has also generated political contestation whenever prominent names appear on the deletion lists.
For sitting members of Parliament, removal from the voter list of the state they represent does not automatically affect their membership of the Rajya Sabha. Chadha’s position as a Member of Parliament from Punjab therefore remains intact regardless of the draft classification. The practical consequence is limited to his ability to vote in elections in that state unless the entry is restored through the claims process.
Next Steps and Political Implications
Chadha has indicated that he is pursuing the formal remedies available under the Election Commission’s guidelines. The claims and objections period provides an opportunity for affected individuals to submit supporting documents and seek re-inclusion. The final electoral rolls for Punjab are expected in October, at which point the status of contested entries will become clear.
The episode has added another layer to the already strained relationship between Chadha and his former party. His departure from the AAP earlier this year, along with several other Rajya Sabha colleagues, was accompanied by sharp exchanges over ideology, organisational direction and personal loyalty. The current dispute over the voter list has revived those tensions in a new administrative setting.
Whether the deletion is ultimately reversed through the claims process or stands in the final rolls, the public exchange has highlighted the sensitivity surrounding electoral revisions when they intersect with high-profile political realignments. Both sides continue to frame the issue in terms of institutional responsibility and political motive, leaving the Election Commission’s prescribed procedures as the formal route for resolution.
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