Demand no more voter deletions: AAP chief writes to CEC

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva asserted the party is only raising objections to votes cast by infiltrators, deceased individuals, or those registered under fake addresses

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday along with a delegation of AAP leaders and submitted a complaint regarding their claims that names of voters were being “forcibly deleted” from the electoral roll allegedly at the “behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)” ahead of the 2025 assembly elections.

AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, along with party leaders Delhi CM Atishi, Raghav Chadha, Sanjay Singh and others, addresses the media after meeting the Chief Election Commission of India, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (PTI)

While the BJP dismissed the allegations as a “desperate” attempt by the AAP to win the elections, it said that the party is working on removing fake voters across the city.

Officials at the Delhi chief electoral officer’s have repeatedly refuted claims made by the AAP.

In its complaint, the AAP presented a 3,000-page document and demanded that cases be lodged against a BJP leader in the Shahdara assembly constituency for allegedly “submitting names of existing voters for deletion”, and against election officials who allegedly “accepted and executed the applications.”

Kejriwal claimed BJP workers have submitted such applications in Tughlakabad, Palam, Rajouri Garden, and Mustafabad too. The AAP chief demanded that the poll panel halt any further deletions. The CEC, Kejriwal said, assured the party that no mass deletions will take place before the elections.

“...If the EC decides to delete a vote, a field inquiry will be conducted first...This is a major assurance, and if implemented, it will end wrongful deletions,” said Kejriwal, who was accompanied by CM Atishi, party leaders Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha, and others.

No official response was issued by the Election Commission of India in response to HT’s queries on the matter.

Meanwhile, an official in the Delhi CEO’s office said “no applications for mass deletion of voters have been received and no such exercise is underway.”

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva asserted the party is only raising objections to votes cast by infiltrators, deceased individuals, or those registered under fake addresses.

He said in a statement: “...Everyone is actively working to eliminate fake votes from their respective areas. Wherever people find information about votes being cast by Rohingya, Bangladeshis, or other infiltrators, they are filing objections to have these votes removed.”