Delhi CEO rejects AAP claim on Raghav Chadha

Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has denied allegations that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha's name was added to the capital's electoral roll without following due process. The denial came after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed the inclusion bypassed the rules.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj questioned the process on Tuesday. He referred to Chadha's previous claim of being a voter in Punjab who would re-register there. Bharadwaj asked how Chadha's name featured in Delhi's draft electoral roll while the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was coinciding in both Punjab and Delhi. "We do not believe this is a normal process. This is abnormal, and we have never seen this happen before," Bharadwaj said, asking the Election Commission of India (ECI) to clarify what process was followed. The AAP has accused Chadha of seeking a backdated entry to the rolls in Delhi's Rajinder Nagar constituency.

CEO's statement on procedure

Delhi CEO Ashok Kumar issued a statement maintaining that all modifications to the electoral roll are made strictly according to law. The statement said electors are added, deleted, or modified only through Form 6, 7, and 8, which are processed as per the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. It added that any elector can submit these forms at any time of the year and reiterated a commitment to a transparent and inclusive revision process.

The timeline for the draft publications shows the process was ongoing in both states. The draft list after the SIR in Delhi was published on August 31 based on enumeration forms collected between June 30 and August 17. In Punjab, the draft electoral roll was published earlier, on August 13.

Chadha's allegations and defense

Raghav Chadha defended his registration, stating he followed all applicable guidelines and procedures and availed the prescribed remedies. He framed the AAP's complaint as politically motivated. "The AAP has confused 'electoral rolls' with its 'party membership register.' It wants to cut out everyone who walks away from [the party chief Arvind] Kejriwal and his corrupt AAP," Chadha said.

Chadha, who was among seven of ten AAP Rajya Sabha members who defected to the BJP in April, has been a voter in Mohali, Punjab. Last week, he alleged a "political vendetta" by the Punjab government after his name was marked under the "shifted" category in the state's draft roll. He claimed Punjab government officials, including the booth-level officer (BLO), assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) and the chief electoral officer (CEO), carried out this classification. "They know who can transfer them and who can make their lives difficult." Chadha alleged.

He further claimed that since he left the AAP, its leadership has been "burning with anger." Chadha alleged the Punjab Police and the state's administrative machinery have been similarly targeted against other former AAP lawmakers who switched to the BJP.

AAP's counter to allegations

The AAP denied Chadha's allegations regarding the Punjab electoral roll. The party stated that the Special Intensive Revision is being conducted by the Election Commission of India, and not by the state government. This counter-argument seeks to distance the state's AAP administration from the procedural decision to mark Chadha's status as "shifted" in Punjab.

The dispute centers on the technicalities of voter registration amid high-profile political defections. Chadha maintains his actions were lawful, while the AAP questions the simultaneity and propriety of his registration in Delhi.