Raghav Chadha’s Name Was Marked Shifted In Punjab Voter Roll After He Left AAP, Now He Alleges “Politics Of Revenge”

For years, Raghav Chadha was one of the most recognisable young faces of the Aam Aadmi Party. He rose through the party alongside Arvind Kejriwal, became an AAP Rajya Sabha MP from Punjab and later emerged as one of its prominent national voices.

That relationship changed dramatically in April 2026, when Chadha left AAP and joined the BJP along with six other Rajya Sabha MPs. 

Now, months after that political split, Chadha and his former party are facing off over something more basic: his name on the voter list.

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So, What Happened To Chadha’s Name?

Chadha’s name appeared in the list of electors classified as “shifted” during the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of Punjab’s electoral rolls.

The draft roll was published on 13 August 2026, and Chadha’s entry was reportedly marked as “permanently shifted”. His voter registration had been in Mohali. 

Chadha has alleged that the move was politically motivated.

In a post on X, he accused the AAP government in Punjab of taking its alleged “politics of revenge” into the electoral-roll process.

He questioned who had marked him as shifted, who had verified the classification and who had processed it.

Chadha also pointed to an important provision in the ECI’s SIR guidelines. He said the guidelines specifically required the names of public representatives already flagged in the electoral database to be included in the draft electoral roll. 

However, his name did not appear in the draft roll in Punjab.

Chadha has also acknowledged that the roll is still a draft, meaning the matter is not final. He said he was using the remedies available under the SIR process to get the classification corrected. 

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AAP Has A Very Different Version

AAP has rejected Chadha’s allegations.

The party said the Punjab government had no role in deciding whose name is included or deleted from the electoral roll because the SIR is being conducted by the Election Commission.

AAP instead turned the spotlight towards Chadha’s voter registration in Delhi.

The party alleged that Chadha had been trying to get his voter registration shifted to Delhi through what it described as a “backdated process”. AAP said the matter should be investigated if such an exercise had taken place. 

AAP also argued that Chadha has been living in Delhi and that maintaining or shifting his voter registration was his responsibility.

So, the dispute now has two competing claims.

Chadha says his Punjab voter entry was wrongly marked as shifted because of political vendetta.

While the AAP said that the state government did not control the SIR process and Chadha is trying to shift blame after an issue involving his voter registration.

Neither allegation has been established as fact.

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What Do The Election Commission Rules Say?

The ECI’s SIR guidelines of 24 June 2025 said public representatives and certain other specified categories already flagged in the electoral database should be included in the draft roll so they could submit documents during the claims and objections process.

The ECI conducts electoral-roll revisions under Article 324 of the Constitution, Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

Chadha’s name was marked “shifted” in Punjab’s 13 August 2026 draft roll. But this is not the final list. Voters can file claims and objections to correct or restore their names.

Punjab’s updated schedule gives voters until 12 September 2026 to raise objections, while the final electoral roll is due on 12 October 2026.

So, Chadha’s name being missing from the draft roll does not by itself mean his voter registration has been permanently cancelled.

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From AAP’s Young Face To BJP MP

Raghav Chadha’s political journey with AAP began in the party’s early years. He worked with Arvind Kejriwal during the anti-corruption movement and later became an AAP spokesperson.

He was elected from Delhi’s Rajinder Nagar in 2020 and entered the Rajya Sabha from Punjab in 2022. He went on to become one of AAP’s prominent young leaders.

But tensions emerged before his exit. In April 2026, AAP replaced Chadha as its deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha with Ashok Mittal. Around the same period, disagreements over his role and absence from party activities involved several AAP leaders, including Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjay Singh.

Chadha later left AAP on 24 April 2026 and joined the BJP along with six other Rajya Sabha MPs, reducing AAP’s strength in the House to three.

After leaving, Chadha criticised AAP’s functioning and described its work environment as “toxic”. He said the party had moved away from the principles on which he had joined it.

Now, months after that political split, the fallout has resurfaced in the dispute over his name in Punjab’s voter roll.

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TL;DR | News At a Glance

What happened?
Raghav Chadha’s name was marked “shifted” in Punjab’s draft electoral roll during the SIR exercise.

What did Chadha allege?
He accused the AAP government in Punjab of political vendetta and questioned how his name was classified as shifted.

What did AAP say?
AAP denied having any role in the deletion and said the SIR is conducted by the Election Commission.

What else did AAP allege?
The party claimed Chadha was trying to get his voter registration shifted to Delhi through a backdated process.

What do the ECI guidelines say?
The 2025 SIR guidelines said names of public representatives already flagged in the electoral database were to be included in the draft roll.

Is Chadha permanently out of the voter list?
No. The current list is a draft, and the claims and objections process allows corrections before the final roll.

When is Punjab’s final roll expected?
The updated schedule puts final publication on 12 October 2026.