Raghav Chadha, AAP spar over his name being marked ‘shifted’ in Punjab draft rolls

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Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab Raghav Chadha on Thursday (September 3, 2026) said that his name has been marked as “shifted” in the draft electoral rolls despite his voter ID being registered in Mohali, accusing the AAP government of using the electoral machinery for political vendetta.

The AAP hit back, accusing Mr. Chadha of trying to get his voter registration made in Delhi through a “backdated process”, and attempting to put the entire blame on the Punjab government.

A senior Election Commission functionary, however, rejected the claim of back-channel efforts to include Mr. Chadha's name in Delhi's voter list, saying, "There was, and there is no such move whatsoever."

Mr. Chadha's name has been classified as “shifted” in the draft electoral rolls prepared after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Punjab.

“The AAP government in Punjab has now taken its politics of revenge to the draft electoral rolls. I am a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, with my voter ID registered in Mohali, Punjab. Yet my name has been classified as ‘shifted’ in the draft electoral rolls,” Mr. Chadha said in a post on X.

“This does not seem like a mere clerical mistake. This is a clear case of political vendetta,” he alleged.

Mr. Chadha, who switched sides from the AAP to the BJP in April, said he was in the process of availing remedies provided under the SIR guidelines.

“Thankfully, these are only the draft rolls, not the final rolls. Names are corrected during the 'claims and objections' process, which is ongoing. The final rolls will be published in October. I am already in the process of availing the remedies provided under the SIR guidelines,” the former Delhi minister said.

He also questioned who marked him as “shifted”, who verified the classification and who processed it at a higher level, alleging that officials of the Punjab government were involved in the process.

“Who marked me as 'shifted'? An official of the AAP government. Who verified that classification? Again, an officer of the AAP government. Who processed it at a higher level? Once again, the same AAP government’s official,” Mr. Chadha alleged.

He claimed that from the booth-level officer (BLO) to the chief electoral officer of the state, every operational level of the SIR exercise is staffed by Punjab government officials.

“The BLO is ordinarily a junior Punjab government employee. The AEROs, EROs and DEOs in between are Punjab government officials. At the top is a Punjab-cadre IAS officer serving as the chief electoral officer,” he said.

Such officials are susceptible to political pressure as their transfers, postings and careers are controlled by the state government, he claimed.