New Delhi [India], September 9 (ANI): BJP MP Raghav Chadha hit back at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over allegations concerning his voter registration, calling them baseless and asserting that he had followed all applicable Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines and procedures.
In a statement, Chadha accused AAP and its leadership of repeatedly targeting him since he left the party.
"I seem to be haunting Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party. Day and night, all they think about is Raghav Chadha and how to attack him," he said.
Chadha said AAP's latest allegations concerned his voter registration and accused the party of first deciding on an allegation and then attempting to find an argument to support it.
"The facts are simple. I have followed all applicable ECI guidelines and procedures and availed the prescribed remedies," he said.
He further accused AAP of confusing electoral rolls with its party membership register.
"AAP has confused 'electoral rolls' with its 'party membership register.' It wants to cut out everyone who walks away from Kejriwal and his corrupt AAP," Chadha said.
Chadha also alleged that AAP had created a dedicated effort to target him following his departure from the party.
Earlier, the Office of Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Tuesday clarified the procedure followed for inclusion, deletion and modification of names in electoral rolls after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged that the name of Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha was included in the electoral roll of AC-39 (Rajinder Nagar) without following due procedure.
The CEO said names are added, deleted or modified in the electoral roll only based on Forms 6, 7 and 8, respectively. These applications are processed by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in accordance with the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and instructions issued by the Election Commission of India.
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Media In-charge Anurag Dhanda on Tuesday said the Election Commission's response to its questions over the addition of Raghav Chadha's name to Delhi's electoral rolls has exposed the "backdoor manner in which the entry was made.
Dhanda said the response itself validates its stand that the Election Commission has failed to explain how Raghav Chadha's name appeared in the electoral rolls after the August 31 draft roll showed 746 voters.
The AAP National Media In-charge said this makes it clear that the name was added through the "backdoor", without following the prescribed legal and procedural process.
Responding to the Election Commission's response, Dhanda said, "The episode shows that even the Delhi Election Commission is unaware of how the addition took place. The Election Commission's inability to explain the specific process behind the entry raises serious questions over the transparency of the SIR process."
He demanded that the Election Commission explain how Raghav Chadha's name appeared as the 747th entry after the August 31 draft roll showed 746 voters, and maintained that the episode raises grave questions over the transparency and credibility of the entire SIR exercise. (ANI)
Raghav Chadha dismisses AAP allegations over voter registration as baseless, says he followed ECI procedures
