Arvind Kejriwal Demands Halt to Voter Deletions, Alleges Manipulation by BJP

AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal urged the Election Commission to stop voter deletions in Delhi, alleging BJP manipulation targeting marginalized groups. He presented evidence of wrongful deletions and demanded FIRs against violators. The EC assured stricter verification processes, requiring Form 7 and field inquiries to prevent unwarranted voter removal before elections.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chief Arvind Kejriwal has urged the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Rajiv Kumar, to suspend further deletions from Delhi’s electoral rolls. Kejriwal alleges that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is orchestrating large-scale voter deletions ahead of the 2025 assembly elections.

Kejriwal’s letter to the Election Commission followed a review of 500 names from the BJP-submitted list of 11,000 voters marked for deletion. According to AAP, 372 voters were verified as still residing at their registered addresses.

Addressing the media after meeting with the CEC, Kejriwal presented 3,000 pages of evidence to support his claims. He accused BJP officials of targeting vulnerable groups, including the poor and Dalit communities, particularly those in slums. In Shahdara, he alleged a BJP leader submitted a secret list of over 11,000 voters for deletion. Similar actions were reported in Janakpuri and Tughlakabad, where BJP members allegedly sought to remove thousands of voters, including 40% from a single booth.

Kejriwal demanded immediate action to prevent wrongful deletions and urged the Election Commission to file FIRs against those submitting baseless applications. He received assurances from the EC that no mass deletions would occur without thorough verification. Moving forward, any deletion requests must be submitted via Form 7, and field inquiries will involve Booth Level Officers (BLOs) alongside representatives from political parties.

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Kejriwal emphasized that protecting the voting rights of every citizen is paramount to safeguarding democracy, particularly for marginalized communities.