New Delhi: Renewing its confrontation with the Election Commission, the Aam Aadmi Party has alleged widespread manipulation of Delhi’s electoral rolls, asserting that Arvind Kejriwal presented proof of the practice months before Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, AAP Delhi state president Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed that “vote chori” has been systematically undermining democracy for over a decade. He said that on December 29, 2024—two months before the Delhi Assembly polls—Kejriwal presented evidence showing how non-BJP voters, particularly AAP supporters, were being selectively targeted for deletion. Bharadwaj alleged that the deletions were not random but carried out through systematic profiling of voters. “Once identified as AAP supporters—whether through social media activity, local booth agents, or even caste and class markers—applications were fraudulently filed in their names to get their votes deleted,” he claimed.
According to Bharadwaj, in the New Delhi Assembly constituency alone, 42,000 names were struck off the rolls in one sweep, shrinking the list from 1.48 lakh to 1.06 lakh. Another 6,100 deletions and over 10,000 new voter applications followed soon after. “Some individuals supposedly filed dozens or even hundreds of deletion requests, yet when summoned, all denied ever making such applications,” he said.
Bharadwaj accused the EC of inaction despite what he described as clear evidence of impersonation. “Only 11 people appeared when called, and all denied filing applications. How can one person sitting at home decide 108 people no longer live at their address? Who are these people, and why was no inquiry made?” he asked, naming former CEC Rajiv Kumar and Gyanesh Kumar for failing to act.
He further recalled that Kejriwal had raised concerns about mass deletions ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, claiming 30 lakh votes were struck off in Delhi alone. Similar complaints, he said, came from Telangana and other states. “Poor families in colonies and villages go to vote, only to find their names missing. This has been happening since 2013–14. Votes are not supposed to be deleted without verification,” he said.