Kejriwal Accuses BJP of Large-Scale Voter Deletions Ahead of Delhi Assembly Elections

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 7th Dec. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused the BJP of orchestrating large-scale deletions of voters’ names from the electoral rolls ahead of the Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled for February.

Kejriwal alleged that BJP leaders had submitted applications to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to remove thousands of voter names from constituencies like Shahdara, Janakpuri, and Laxmi Nagar. He specifically cited Shahdara, claiming that the BJP sought to delete 11,018 names. “When we randomly checked 500 of these names, 75 percent were still residing at the listed addresses. This is an attempt to manipulate the electoral process,” he said.

The AAP leader linked these deletions to BJP’s narrow victory in Shahdara in the 2020 Assembly elections, where AAP won by just 5,294 votes. He warned that removing 11,000 voters — about 6% of the electorate in the constituency — could significantly impact the election outcome.

In response, the Shahdara district magistrate denied Kejriwal’s claims, stating that only 494 deletion requests were received since October 29, 2024. “The claim of 11,018 deletion requests is factually incorrect,” the magistrate wrote on X.

Kejriwal also presented individuals whose names he claimed were wrongly targeted for deletion, asserting that they were alive and living at the same addresses listed on the voter rolls.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva dismissed the accusations, calling them “baseless.” He alleged that AAP was shielding fraudulent voters, including Rohingyas and Bangladeshis, and criticized Kejriwal for panicking over a loss of this vote bank.

Kejriwal demanded greater transparency in the deletion process and called for all deletion applications to be published on the ECI website. He also urged the suspension of deletions initiated after October 18.

Describing the deletions as a “conspiracy to disenfranchise citizens,” Kejriwal stated that the BJP was resorting to such tactics because it anticipated defeat in the elections. He warned that legal action would be taken against any officials involved in irregularities.

With the Delhi Assembly elections fast approaching, AAP is aiming for a third consecutive term following its landslide victory in 2020.