Raghav Chadha alleged that he was wrongly marked “shifted” in Punjab’s draft voter roll. AAP denied state government involvement and questioned his Punjab residence, while Chadha said he was using the claims-and-objections process.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has alleged political vendetta after his voter registration in Mohali was classified as “shifted” during the Special Intensive Revision of Punjab’s electoral rolls.

Chadha, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab while he was with the Aam Aadmi Party before joining the BJP, said he remains registered as a voter in Mohali and questioned why his name was not included normally in the draft roll.

The electoral roll is currently a draft rather than a final list. Chadha acknowledged that corrections can be requested through the ongoing claims-and-objections process and said he was pursuing the remedies available under the Election Commission’s SIR guidelines.

In a post on X, Chadha said his name had been classified as “shifted” in the draft electoral rolls. He described the development as an attempt by Punjab’s AAP government to extend political rivalry into the voter-registration process.

Chadha argued that the classification was not an ordinary clerical error. He alleged that officials working at different levels in Punjab were involved and claimed the action followed his departure from AAP and move to the BJP.

No independent finding establishing political interference had been announced at the time of reporting. The classification remains subject to correction before the final electoral roll is published.

Chadha cited Paragraph 4(d) of what he described as the Election Commission’s detailed SIR guidelines. According to him, the provision creates safeguards for public representatives and other specified individuals, including judges, MPs and MLAs.

He claimed that if his voter record had been flagged during verification, his name should still have appeared in the draft list under the protected-category procedure.

Chadha maintained that the provision was knowingly disregarded in his case. He also alleged that other parliamentarians who left AAP and joined the BJP had faced pressure from the Punjab government.

The Election Commission or Punjab’s electoral authorities would need to determine whether his status was recorded correctly and whether the safeguard he cited applies to his circumstances.

AAP rejected Chadha’s political-vendetta allegation and said electoral-roll revisions are conducted under the Election Commission, not controlled by the Punjab government.

The party argued that state authorities do not independently decide whose name is included or excluded. It also claimed that Chadha primarily lives in Delhi and said it was his responsibility to maintain or transfer his voter registration if his ordinary residence had changed.

AAP further alleged that it had received information suggesting Chadha was attempting to register as a voter in Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar constituency through a backdated process. The party demanded an investigation if any unlawful attempt had been made.

Chadha’s previous association with Rajinder Nagar is publicly known, but AAP’s latest allegation about a backdated registration had not been independently established at the time of reporting.

Being marked “shifted” in a draft roll is not necessarily a final deletion from the electorate. The draft list remains open to claims, objections and corrections before the final roll is issued.

Chadha said he had already initiated the remedies available under the SIR process. Election officials can examine residence documents, voter-registration records and field-verification reports before deciding whether to restore or modify an entry.

The dispute has nevertheless become a political confrontation between Chadha and his former party. Chadha has framed the classification as retaliation following his switch to the BJP, while AAP has described it as an election-administration matter linked to residence and registration.

The final status of Chadha’s voter record will depend on the Election Commission’s review. Until then, the accurate description is that he was marked “shifted” in Punjab’s draft roll—not that his voting rights have been permanently cancelled.