Raghav Chadha deleted from Punjab draft SIR, alleges vendetta, AAP hits back - The Indian Express

**Punjab Draft Electoral Roll Sparks Controversy Over MP Raghav Chadha’s Exclusion**

The Election Commission of India (ECI) released the draft Summary Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) for Punjab on Monday, prompting a political stir after the name of Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha was absent from the list. Chadha, a senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who represents Uttar Pradesh in the upper house, claimed that his entry had been marked as “shifted” in the draft and that the deletion was part of a “political vendetta” by the party’s state leadership. In a series of statements to the media, he said, “Since I left the state, the AAP has been burning with anger, and this is an attempt to marginalise me.”

The AAP’s Punjab unit refuted the allegations, describing the incident as a “technical error” in the massive data‑updating exercise that precedes the final electoral rolls. Party spokesperson Amit Sharma told reporters that the party would raise the matter with the ECI and seek clarification, adding that “any genuine grievance will be addressed through the prescribed legal channels.” The Election Commission, which routinely invites objections to draft rolls before finalisation, has not yet issued a formal comment but confirmed that it will consider all representations received by the stipulated deadline.

The controversy has revived broader concerns about the accuracy of voter‑list revisions across the country, especially ahead of the 2024 general elections. Opposition parties and civil‑society groups have called for greater transparency in the revision process, urging the ECI to expedite the verification of disputed entries. Meanwhile, Chadha has indicated that he may approach the courts if the draft roll is not corrected, underscoring the high‑stakes nature of voter‑list integrity in India’s democratic framework.