Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 10: The Election Commission has clarified the process behind the inclusion of Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha's name in the electoral roll for Delhi's Rajinder Nagar constituency after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) raised questions over the development.
According to the office of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer, Chadha submitted Form 6 on August 26, seeking inclusion of his name in the electoral roll for AC-39 Rajinder Nagar. The application was approved by the Electoral Registration Officer on September 2 after the completion of the mandatory seven-day notice period and following the prescribed procedure.
The clarification came after the AAP questioned how Chadha's name was added to the voter list when the electoral roll for the concerned polling part had already reflected 746 voters.
However, the AAP rejected the Election Commission's explanation and alleged that Chadha's name had been added to the electoral roll "through the back door". The party also questioned whether political pressure had played a role in the process.
AAP national media-in-charge Anurag Dhanda demanded that Chadha's Form 6 application be made public and that citizens be given an opportunity to raise objections to his inclusion, similar to the procedure available for other voters.
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office said that any eligible person whose name is not included in the electoral roll can apply for inclusion by submitting Form 6 along with the required supporting documents.
It further explained that while the final electoral roll is published after the revision period and the disposal of claims and objections, an elector's name begins appearing in the database immediately after a Form 6 application is approved. The new entry is assigned a serial number continuing from the last entry in the draft electoral roll.
The office also referred to the Election Commission's May 14 guidelines for the Special Intensive Revision, which state that names added during the revision period would be allotted serial numbers continuing from the final entry in the draft electoral roll.