BJP MP Raghav Chadha claims ‘political vendetta’ after his name was deleted from SIR proposals; AAP strikes back | Today’s news

As the Election Commission of India (ECI) conducts the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country in phases, political tensions have flared up again over the exercise. This time the face-off is between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha and the Punjab government.

Read also | Raghav Chadha faces massive backlash over photos with PM Modi

BJP MP slams AAP’s political ‘vendetta’

On Thursday, Chadha, a former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader who defected to the BJP in April this year, slammed the Punjab government for playing “revenge politics” after his name was allegedly removed from the draft electoral rolls.

In a rather lengthy post on X, Chadha blamed the AAP-led Punjab government and wrote, “The AAP government in Punjab has now adopted its policy of revenge on the provisional electoral rolls. I am a sitting Rajya Sabha member from Punjab with my voter ID registered in Mohali, Punjab. Yet my name has been classified as a ‘voter list.’

He added: “This does not appear to be a mere administrative error. This is a clear case of political vendetta.” Asked by the state government, he wrote: “Who classified me as ‘shifted’? An AAP Punjab government official. Who verified this classification? Again an AAP Punjab government officer. Who processed it at a higher level? Again the same AAP Punjab government official.”

The BJP leader further said, “From the on-site BLO to the Chief Electoral Officer Punjab, every operational level of this exercise is manned by Punjab government officials. The BLO is usually a junior employee of the Punjab government. AERO, ERO and DEO among them are Punjab government officials who serve as the I office of the ElecactordreAS Punjab Punjab.”

He also accused the AAP-led government of pressuring officials and said the state government controls their transfers, postings and careers once their electoral duty is over. Chadha claimed that officials are aware that their lives could become complicated if they do not comply with the government.

Read also | Nearly one-third of Delhi’s electorate is likely to be wiped out from the SIR proposals

Raghav Chadha vs AAP

Chadha alleged that the AAP leadership has targeted him and other former party leaders since his exit, using the Punjab police and the administrative machinery of the state government against those who refused to remain silent. He further claimed that other former AAP MPs who joined the BJP also faced similar action and described the removal of his name from electoral rolls as the latest case of what he termed political vendetta.

AAP strikes back

Following his scathing post, the Aam Aadmi Party’s Punjab unit went to X to respond to the former party leader’s claims. Citing a national English daily, AAP accused Chadha of “trying to get voter registration in Delhi through an outdated process”, adding that the BJP MP was shifting the burden to the Punjab government. She further said that the SIR exercise is being conducted by the ECI and not the state government, adding that the Punjab government had no role in deciding whose name would be included or deleted from the electoral roll.

The party also added, “It is a matter of public record that Raghav Chadha lived in Delhi and not in Punjab. If he no longer resides in Punjab, it was his own responsibility to maintain or shift his voter registration. He cannot now blame AAP or the Punjab government for erasing the voter’s record.”

Punjab sir

Chadha’s name was among the 20.66 lakh names removed from the pre-SIR electoral rolls of Punjab, representing 9.7 per cent of the total electorate. His name appeared on the strike-out list of the state’s draft list, which was released on August 13, the Indian Express reported, citing official records. It appears on the ASDD list, which includes voters classified as “absent, shifted, deceased and duplicate”. His record was marked as “permanently shifted”.

The final SIR voter list for Punjab is scheduled to be released on October 12. Voters whose names were expunged during the draft phase can still seek inclusion by submitting an application during the month-long claims and objections period, which runs from August 13 to September 12.