Delhi Poll Body Defends Raghav Chadha's Voter Roll Addition, AAP Cries Foul
Delhi's poll body says Raghav Chadha's Form 6 for Rajinder Nagar was approved on September 2 after due procedure, while AAP alleges irregularities.
The office of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer on Wednesday defended the inclusion of BJP MP Raghav Chadha's name in the Rajinder Nagar electoral roll, stating that his application was processed strictly in accordance with established procedure.
According to the poll body, Chadha, a Rajya Sabha member, submitted Form 6 seeking inclusion in AC-39 (Rajinder Nagar) on August 26. The application was approved by the Electoral Registration Officer on September 2, following the completion of a mandatory seven-day notice period.
Officials noted that Chadha's name was added through the updation process, and that it had earlier been removed from the electoral rolls of Punjab, from where he was elected to the Upper House on an AAP nomination in 2022. Chadha crossed over to the BJP in April.
The CEO's office explained that additions, deletions and modifications to electoral rolls are carried out only through Forms 6, 7 and 8 respectively, and are disposed of by Electoral Registration Officers under the Representation of People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and Election Commission instructions. Any eligible person whose name is absent from the roll may apply through Form 6 with prescribed supporting documents, it added.
On the timing of the addition, the poll body cited the Election Commission's May 14 guidelines on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which provide that additions made during the SIR period are assigned serial numbers continuing after the last entry of the draft roll.
The AAP rejected the explanation, alleging that Chadha's name was added "through the back door" and questioning whether political pressure played a role. Party national media-in-charge Anurag Dhanda demanded that the Form 6 be made public and that citizens be allowed to file objections against it as they would for any ordinary elector.
Dhanda claimed Chadha's name did not appear in any Form 6 received in Rajinder Nagar between September 1 and 7, and questioned how it appeared as the 747th entry when the draft roll contained 746 voters and the final roll had not yet been published.
The Delhi poll body reiterated its commitment to a transparent, participative and inclusive revision process, ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included in the electoral roll.