New Delhi, September 3: Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha has accused the Punjab government of engaging in political vendetta. He stated that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab has extended its vendetta politics to the draft voter list.
Chadha posted on ‘X’, “I am a current member of Rajya Sabha from Punjab. My voter ID is registered in Mohali. Yet, my name appears as ‘shifted’ in the draft voter list. Fortunately, this is just a draft, not the final list. Corrections are made during the ‘claims and objections’ process, which is currently underway. The final voter list will be published in October 2026. I am already utilizing the remedies provided under the SIR guidelines.”
He emphasized that this does not seem like a mere clerical error but a clear case of political retribution.
Chadha raised questions, “Who marked me as ‘shifted’? An official from the AAP Punjab government. Who verified this classification? Again, an official from the AAP Punjab government. Who processed this at a higher level? Once more, the same official from the AAP Punjab government.”
He pointed out that every operational level of this process, from the BLO to the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab, is filled with officials from the Punjab government. The BLO is typically a junior employee of the Punjab government. The AERO, ERO, and DEO are also officials from the Punjab government. At the top is an IAS officer from the Punjab cadre serving as the Chief Electoral Officer.
Chadha alleged that these officials are aware that the AAP government controls their transfers, postings, and careers once their electoral duties are over. They know who can transfer them and who can complicate their lives. In this way, the AAP government exerts political pressure through government officials for political revenge.
He stated, “Since I left the AAP, its leadership has been burning with anger. It has unleashed the Punjab police and the administrative machinery against those of us who refuse to remain silent. Other MPs who left the AAP for the BJP have also been targeted by the Punjab government. This misclassification is yet another act of political vengeance.”
Chadha also referenced the ECI guidelines, noting that paragraph 4(D) of the SIR guidelines mandates the creation of a ‘safe list’ for public representatives whose names have been identified. This includes judges, MPs, and MLAs.
The guideline states, “All names of members of the judiciary, public representatives, holders of declared positions, and personalities from fields such as art, culture, journalism, sports, and public services (already marked in the voter database) must be included in the draft voter list, so necessary documents can be collected during the claims and objections period.”
He concluded, “I am a current member of parliament from Punjab. If my name was marked, it should have been included in the draft voter list under paragraph 4(D). The directive was not overlooked; rather, it was deliberately violated in my case.”
In closing, Raghav Chadha asserted, “While the Aam Aadmi Party may govern Punjab, the draft voter list is not its personal property.”
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