BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha is calling out the AAP-led Punjab government, claiming they’re targeting him out of “political vendetta.” This all flared up when he found his name labeled “permanently shifted” in the state’s draft electoral rolls—a list being updated right now under the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
So here’s what happened: Chadha’s voter ID is linked to Mohali, Punjab. He’s shown up as a regular voter there for a while. But when the draft roll came out on August 13, his name was stuck in a category reserved for voters who are absent, shifted, deceased, or duplicates—the “ASDD” list. The reason? “Permanently shifted.”
Now, the SIR is a nationwide effort to clean up voter lists. The idea is to weed out people who have moved, passed away, or otherwise don’t belong on the rolls. In Punjab alone, they’ve deleted about 2 million voters—almost 10% of the pre-SIR electorate. So, it’s a pretty big shakeup.
Chadha got pretty vocal on social media and with the press on September 3. He blasted the AAP government, accusing them of using draft electoral rolls as a tool for revenge. His take is that this isn’t just a paperwork error. He says it’s a targeted move against him because he defected from AAP to BJP in April. He’s also puzzled—or really, just angry—about how state employees handling the SIR could call him “shifted” when his voter ID still lists Mohali as home. In his eyes, AAP is using the electoral process as payback against folks who switched teams.
The AAP government in Punjab has now taken its politics of revenge to the Draft Electoral Rolls.
I am a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab, with my voter ID registered in Mohali, Punjab. Yet my name has been classified as “shifted” in the draft electoral rolls.
Thankfully,… pic.twitter.com/laAFAAWYiQ
— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) September 3, 2026
But AAP leaders are dismissing Chadha’s claims. They say the state government doesn’t control the SIR—it’s all handled by the Election Commission of India. So, decisions about who stays or goes on the list aren’t theirs to make.
Plus, this is just the draft roll. People have time to challenge it or get their names back—there’s a whole claims and objections phase. AAP legislator Sanjeev Jha has even asked the Election Commission to clear up Chadha’s status. Another top AAP member, Neel Garg, says the party is not interested in removing anyone’s vote.
So, does this affect Chadha’s Rajya Sabha seat? Not right now. Legal experts say his name is only missing from a draft list, not the final version. He can object and get reinstated by the September 12 deadline. Unless his name ends up deleted from the final roll—and even then, it’s complicated—his seat isn’t gone. But the fight over this is fueling the rivalry between AAP and BJP as they gear up for future elections.
For some context: these SIR drives have set off controversy in other states, too. Opposition parties often claim that ruling governments are using them to knock out specific voters—usually their critics or opponents. In Punjab, with almost one in ten voters cut from the draft list, lots of people are asking tough questions.
Chadha’s case is grabbing extra attention because he’s a well-known MP and his records are public. While AAP keeps saying the Punjab government isn’t behind the revisions, Chadha is sticking to his claim—insisting state employees are responsible—which keeps the heat on the government.
Next up? Chadha is expected to file his objection with the Electoral Registration Officer in Mohali before the September 12 deadline. The Election Commission will sort through all the claims and objections before releasing the final voter list.
Meanwhile, both parties are using the incident to drum up support—AAP says Chadha’s complaints are bogus, BJP says it’s another example of AAP being vindictive. So, expect this fight to keep making headlines until the dust settles.
