Raghav Chadha's Name Marked 'Shifted' in Punjab Draft Voter Roll, Political Row Erupts

Chandigarh: A political dispute erupted in Punjab after BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha found his name marked as “shifted” in the State's draft electoral roll prepared during the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Chadha accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of political vendetta, arguing that his voter registration had been associated with Mohali and questioning why his name had been classified as shifted.

The AAP rejected the allegation and said the SIR exercise is conducted by the Election Commission of India, not the Punjab government. The party also raised questions about Chadha's residence and his voter-registration application in Delhi.

Raghav Chadha Questions 'Shifted' Status

Chadha said his name had been marked as “shifted” in the Punjab draft electoral roll despite his being a sitting Rajya Sabha MP from the State.

In his statement, Chadha questioned which officials had classified his entry as shifted and alleged that the process reflected political vendetta. He also argued that the treatment was inconsistent with the Election Commission's guidelines relating to elected representatives.

At this stage, however, the entry was part of the draft electoral roll, not a final electoral-roll determination. The SIR process provides a mechanism for electors to raise claims and objections and seek correction of their entries.

The Election Commission's voter-services system provides facilities for registration, correction and updating of electoral-roll details.

AAP Rejects Allegation Against Punjab Government

The Aam Aadmi Party rejected Chadha's allegation that the Punjab government was responsible for his name being removed or marked shifted.

AAP argued that the Special Intensive Revision is conducted by the Election Commission, and that the State government does not decide which individual names are included or excluded from the electoral roll.

The party also questioned whether Chadha continued to reside in Punjab and alleged that he was attempting to obtain voter registration in Delhi through a backdated process.

That allegation was made by AAP during the political dispute and should not be treated as an established finding unless confirmed by the competent electoral authorities.

Chadha's Name Was Marked 'Permanently Shifted'

Subsequent reporting on the controversy stated that Chadha's name appeared among electors whose entries were classified under the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) category during the SIR exercise.

His entry was reported as “permanently shifted.” The Indian Express subsequently reported that a Form 7, which is used for objecting to the inclusion of a name in an electoral roll, was reportedly involved in the deletion process. Chadha and his supporters questioned whether the required verification and notice procedures had been followed.

The distinction between the draft and final electoral rolls is important. The September controversy concerned the status of Chadha's entry during the revision process and did not by itself establish a permanent loss of his electoral registration.

Delhi Voter Registration Becomes Part of the Dispute

The controversy later expanded because Chadha also sought registration in Delhi.

According to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi, Chadha submitted Form 6 on August 26, 2026, seeking inclusion in the electoral roll of the Rajinder Nagar Assembly constituency.

The Delhi CEO's office said the application was approved on September 2, 2026, following the prescribed procedure and notice period. His name subsequently appeared in the Delhi electoral database.

This development became part of the political dispute because the Delhi application and the Punjab draft-roll controversy occurred around the same period.

AAP used the Delhi registration issue to question Chadha's residence and electoral registration, while Chadha maintained that the Punjab voter-roll issue represented political targeting.

Chadha's Political Shift from AAP to BJP

The voter-roll controversy also comes against the background of Chadha's political move from AAP to BJP.

Chadha was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab as an AAP nominee in 2022. In April 2026, he announced that he and six other AAP Rajya Sabha MPs had decided to merge with the BJP. The seven MPs were Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal.

The Rajya Sabha Secretariat subsequently reflected the inclusion of the seven former AAP members in the BJP's strength, taking the BJP's strength to 113 at that point.

Chadha's departure from AAP has therefore become part of the wider political context surrounding the dispute over his voter registration.

Allegations Remain Contested

Chadha has alleged that the marking of his name as shifted in Punjab was politically motivated and accused officials of carrying out the process improperly.

AAP has rejected those allegations and argued that the Election Commission, rather than the Punjab government, conducts the electoral-roll revision. The party has also questioned Chadha's residence in Punjab and raised the issue of his Delhi voter registration.

These are competing political claims. The documented electoral process, including the records concerning the Punjab draft roll and Chadha's subsequent Delhi Form 6 application, provides the factual framework for understanding the dispute.

What the SIR Process Means

The Special Intensive Revision is intended to update and verify electoral rolls. During the process, names can be examined for reasons including changes in residence, death, duplication or other eligibility-related issues.

The Election Commission's voter-services portal provides facilities for registering as a voter and for updating or correcting electoral-roll information.

For an elector whose name is wrongly omitted from an electoral roll, the prescribed process allows an application for inclusion or re-inclusion along with the required documentation.

In Chadha's case, the controversy centres on why his Punjab entry was classified as shifted, the procedure used during the revision and his subsequent registration application in Delhi.

Punjab Politics Ahead of the 2027 Assembly Election

The dispute comes ahead of the Punjab Legislative Assembly Election 2027, adding another political issue to the State's electoral landscape.

Chadha's transition from AAP to BJP has also changed his political affiliation ahead of the election. His voter-registration dispute has brought attention to the SIR process, the treatment of shifted voters and the procedures available to challenge or correct draft electoral-roll entries.

The issue is likely to remain part of the political debate as Punjab moves closer to the 2027 Assembly election.

Expert View

The Raghav Chadha voter-roll controversy involves both an electoral-registration process and competing political allegations. Chadha has described the “shifted” classification as political vendetta, while AAP has denied responsibility and pointed to the Election Commission's role in SIR; later records also show that Chadha's Form 6 application for Rajinder Nagar in Delhi was approved after the prescribed procedure.