Permanently shifted? Raghav Chadha's name cut from Punjab voter rolls, MP cries vendetta

Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha's name has been removed from Punjab’s draft electoral rolls, prompting allegations of political vendetta against the ruling AAP government.

Punjab's draft electoral rolls prepared by the Election Commission of India under its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) program now contain the name of Punjab’s Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha with the annotation 'permanently shifted.' Chadha, whose political journey took him from the Aam Aadmi Party to the BJP, called the omission of his name a politically motivated action taken by the irate administration.

The Absent, Shifted, Deceased, and Duplicate list published on August 13 includes the MP among about 20 million voters not included in the revised list of the state's electors.

ALSO READ | From 911 call to high-rise crossfire: Inside the Minneapolis apartment shooting that left multiple dead

Controversy over 'permanently shifted' classification

Chadha raised doubts about the administrative reason for his omission as the official registration continues to remain in Mohali.

Questioning the classification: The MP said classifying a sitting Member of Parliament as permanently shifted was both illogical and beyond the purview of administrative oversight.

SIR remedy: Pointing out that the currently available list of voters is in draft only, the MP said he was going to make all the rectifications as suggested by the guidelines of the Election Commission.

Against the administration: Referring to his high-profile exit from AAP at the start of the year, he alleged that the administration was using state machinery to take political revenge.

Violation of safe harbor for public representatives

Chadha pointed out specific statutory safe harbors in the form of provisions meant to protect the elected representatives against administrative oversight.

Guidelines not applied: He said that standard SIR provisions providing protection to public representatives, including MPs and MLAs, have been bypassed in his case.

Protection of the public right: Saying that the rolls of the state are not owned by any political party, Chadha pledged to fight this omission through legal means.

Period of challenge: The process of challenge and objection will continue till September 12, and the final electoral rolls are set to be published in October 2026.

Effect on parliamentary membership

It is pertinent to note that due to the omission from the local electoral roll, the parliamentary membership status of Chadha will remain unaffected.

Legal protections: The amendments in the Representation of the People Act in the year 2003 removed the provision of maintaining voter identity as a pre-requisite for being a candidate for Rajya Sabha election.

Uninterrupted tenure: Consequently, the removal from Punjab's rolls does not directly impact his current eligibility or tenure as a sitting Rajya Sabha member.

ALSO READ | Why is it difficult to become village head than MLA or MP? These rules can stop you

Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news and world news on Zee News.