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Raghav Chadha (Img: Pinterest)
New Delhi: A fresh political controversy has erupted over BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha’s voter registration after his name appeared in the Delhi electoral roll during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Chadha’s name was included in the voter list of Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar constituency after the draft electoral rolls had already been published, raising questions from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the timing and process of the inclusion.
The AAP alleged that Chadha’s name was added to the Delhi voter list under suspicious circumstances. The party questioned how his name could appear after the draft rolls were published on August 31.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj highlighted that Chadha’s name appeared at serial number 747 in booth number 46 of Rajinder Nagar, while the draft list released earlier showed the last serial number as 746.
The party demanded clarification from the Election Commission over the procedure followed for adding Chadha’s name during the SIR process.
Delhi election officials said Chadha’s name was added through the regular voter updation process. According to officials, several Form 6 applications for inclusion of names were approved across Delhi constituencies during the claims and objections period.
Officials said voter registration can continue after the draft publication through Form 6 applications, which are verified and approved by Electoral Registration Officers.
Responding to the allegations, Raghav Chadha accused AAP of targeting him politically and said he followed all Election Commission guidelines and procedures.
Taking a sharp dig at his former party, Chadha said AAP was behaving like a “bitter ex” and claimed that the party was unable to accept leaders moving away from it.
He also accused AAP of confusing electoral rolls with party membership records.
The controversy comes amid the Election Commission’s SIR exercise aimed at updating electoral rolls. Chadha’s case has attracted attention because his name was earlier registered as a voter in Punjab after he entered the Rajya Sabha from the state.
His return to the Delhi voter list has now become a political flashpoint, with AAP demanding answers and Chadha defending the legality of the process.
The Election Commission’s clarification on the matter is awaited.
