AAP Raises Alarm Over SIR‑Driven Voter Deletions, Targets Chad Chadha’s Vote
New Delhi, September 3 – Tensions escalated in the capital after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of orchestrating a massive purge of voter names under the Special Intensive Review (SIR) programme, an action that allegedly affected Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha. The party claims that the SIR process has erased the names of about 20 lakh voters in Punjab and roughly 130 million across the nation.
Speaking to the media, AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said Chadha’s removal from Punjab’s electoral roll is not an isolated incident. She warned that the party needs to defend the rights of the countless Punjab residents whose names have been stripped away, reminding that Chadha was sent to the Rajya Sabha by AAP and therefore bears a responsibility to the electorate.
Kakkar further alleged that after the SIR exercise, Chadha tried to add his name to the Delhi voter list for the Rajendra Nagar constituency using a back‑dated form, a claim for which no public document has been produced. She cautioned that allowing a VIP to bypass standard voter registration rules would be unfair to ordinary citizens.
Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bhardwaj argued that Chadha, a Delhi resident, should not have a vote counted in Punjab. He referred to SIR guidelines that permit deletion of a name if the verification team cannot locate the voter at the recorded address, suggesting Chadha’s case fits the rule.
Bhardwaj highlighted that many Delhi voters lose their entries simply because they shift homes, especially renters who fail to update their address. He accused the BJP of raising concerns only about Chadha’s vote while staying silent on the widespread removal of Delhi voters’ names.
The AAP also claimed that journalists were informed of a back‑dated voting attempt by Chadha in Delhi, but the Election Commission allegedly halted any further inquiry when the story surfaced.
Both party leaders called for greater transparency in the Election Commission’s handling of SIR, arguing that temporary relocation should not disenfranchise voters. Bhardwaj referenced Chadha’s previous “right to reject” stance — a demand that elected representatives be recalled by voters — and urged Chadha to apply the same principle to his own political actions.
The episode raises a constitutional question about whether a legislator who leaves the party that nominated him retains a moral claim to the Rajya Sabha seat. While the law permits a member to complete his term regardless of party affiliation, the ethical debate continues.