A political row has broken out in Delhi over entry of BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s name in city’s electoral rolls alleging that it was done without following procedure by Aam Aadmi Party. Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office however has rejected the suggestion that Chadha was given special treatment saying his name was added through normal electoral roll updation process.
The dispute comes when the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Delhi’s electoral rolls is underway. Chadha’s name was added to the electoral roll of Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency after his name was removed from electoral rolls in Punjab.
Officials said his application was among around 700 applications approved by Electoral Registration Officers in Delhi’s 70 Assembly constituencies. Delhi CEO’s office said the applications were processed under the established electoral roll updation mechanism.
AAP Questions How Entry Appeared on Roll
The AAP has questioned the timing and procedure of Chadha’s inclusion. Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj said Chadha figured as 747th voter in the relevant polling part but draft electoral roll published on August 31 had only 746 voters.
Bharadwaj wanted election authorities to explain how the extra name could have come up after the draft roll was published. The party said this showed that “the process followed is not in order”.
The allegations have given another political dimension to the dispute between Chadha and his former party. Chadha was elected to Rajya Sabha from Punjab as AAP member but later moved to BJP.
Delhi CEO Explains Electoral Roll Process
The Delhi CEO’s office said the electoral roll was frozen on June 16 when preparations for SIR started and remained frozen till draft rolls were published on August 31. Applications received during those periods continued to be processed under the electoral framework.
Officials said around 2.14 lakh Form-6 applications were submitted during the pre-SIR period seeking inclusion of new voters and another 25,011 Form-6 applications were filed during claims and objections up to September 7.
The CEO’s office said approved additions, deletions and modifications would be posted to the electoral database. Additions will also be published in a supplementary list when the final electoral rolls are released on November 4.
Chadha Rejects AAP’s Allegations
Chadha has denied wrongdoing and said he followed all applicable Election Commission guidelines and procedures. He also accused AAP of turning electoral roll issue into a political fight.
The controversy is therefore not just about Chadha’s voter registration but also on the process governing electoral roll updates during SIR.
With Delhi’s final electoral rolls not yet published the episode will remain politically relevant. The Election Commission’s explanation of the procedure and when the supplementary and final rolls are published (if ever) will be watched closely.
For now the Delhi CEO’s line is simple: Chadha was added as part of normal updation but AAP wants more clarity on how and when his name was added.
