Raghav Chadha voter registration sparks political dispute in Delhi

Raghav Chadha, a Rajya Sabha MP representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has become the center of a political dispute following his registration as a voter in Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar constituency. The controversy arose after Chadha’s name was removed from the draft electoral rolls in Punjab, where he was previously registered, with his status marked as “shifted.”

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has alleged that Chadha’s inclusion in the Delhi voter list was irregular and bypassed standard procedures. AAP leaders pointed out that the August 31 draft roll for the relevant booth contained 746 voters, while Chadha subsequently appeared as voter number 747. The party has demanded transparency and a formal clarification from the Election Commission regarding the timeline and legality of the addition.

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Delhi has denied any procedural wrongdoing. Officials stated that Chadha submitted a Form-6 application on August 26, which was approved by the Electoral Registration Officer on September 2 after the mandatory seven-day notice period. The CEO clarified that once an application is approved, the name reflects in the database immediately, even before the final roll is published.

Chadha has dismissed the allegations as baseless, accusing the AAP of political vendetta and targeting him because he left the party. He maintains that he has strictly followed all Election Commission of India guidelines.