He “shifted” political course, now the draft voter list after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Punjab marks him as “shifted”. AAP-turned-BJP MP Raghav Chadha has alleged that his name was deliberately classified as “shifted” in the recently released draft voter list of Punjab and has accused the Bhagwant Mann-led government of using the electoral machinery for political vendetta.
In April this year, Raghav Chadha joined the BJP along with six other AAP Rajya Sabha MPs. He questioned how his name was marked as shifted and alleged that officials at different levels of the electoral exercise were employees of the Punjab Government. Chadha claimed that from Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and District Election Officers, the process involves state government officials. “I am a sitting Member of Parliament from Punjab.
Because their transfers, postings and careers are controlled by the state government, he further alleged that these officials could face political pressure. He, however, underlined that these are only draft rolls and that the final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published in October 2026.
Chadha, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab who is registered as a voter in Mohali, said he was surprised to find his name classified as “shifted” in the draft electoral rolls. “The AAP government in Punjab has now taken its politics of revenge to the Draft Electoral Rolls,” Chadha alleged, claiming that the classification was not a “mere clerical error” but part of a wider “political vendetta” against him. If at all my name was flagged, Paragraph 4(d) required my inclusion in the draft electoral rolls,” Chadha said, alleging that the provision was “wilfully violated” in his case.
However, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra, while speaking to NDTV, said she was not aware of any deletion of Chadha’s name. She said she would seek a detailed report from the district election authorities to ascertain whether any deletion had actually been made and, if so, the reasons behind it.
