“Systematic and organised loot of democracy”: AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj alleges vote deletion
(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
AAP Accuses BJP and Election Commission of Deleting Thousands of Votes in Delhi Elections
In a fiery press conference in New Delhi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bharadwaj has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Election Commission of India (ECI) for allegedly deleting thousands of AAP supporters’ votes during the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. Bharadwaj, who serves as AAP’s Delhi State President, called this a massive plot to rig the polls and weaken democracy.
Bharadwaj didn’t hold back during Friday’s event. He said voters line up at polling stations thinking their choices will shape the government, but in truth, the BJP and ECI are pulling the strings behind the scenes. "This is vote theft happening right under our noses," he charged, pointing to a pattern of fraud and impersonation targeting non-BJP votes.
AAP has been sounding the alarm on this for years, especially ahead of the February 5, 2025, elections. Party leaders like then-Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal fired off multiple letters and complaints to ECI Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. They demanded probes into suspicious voter deletions in key areas like Kejriwal’s New Delhi constituency and Shahdara.
Despite dozens of pleas and Right to Information (RTI) requests, the ECI stayed silent. Bharadwaj accused them of quietly burying the files while openly targeting opposition figures on social media to aid the BJP. "It’s an organized loot of democracy," he fumed.
To back their claims, AAP dug into records showing a surge in deletion applications just before the polls. In Kejriwal’s constituency, for instance, 6,166 applications flooded in over 15-20 days leading up to January 5, 2025. Breaking it down: From October 29 to December 15, 2024, there were 2,776 requests. Then, the numbers spiked—234 on December 16, 298 on December 17, a whopping 1,103 on December 24, 982 on Christmas Day, and 989 on December 26.
Bharadwaj highlighted how the voter list in New Delhi had already shrunk dramatically. Back in the 2020 elections, it had 148,000 names. By late October 2024, during a routine roll revision, it dropped by 42,000—part of a larger cut of 420,000 votes over time. On top of that, those extra deletion bids piled on.
He shared real-life examples to drive the point home. Take Tarun Kumar Chautala, a Delhi University student living in NDMC quarters near Khan Market—85 fake deletion notices targeted him, even though he never applied. Usha Devi from Gold Market faced 22 bogus requests. Others like Sunita Devi, Vipin, Monika, and Rajkumar got hit too, with forged applications using their names and addresses. "These people actually live and vote there, but fraudsters put their rights at risk," Bharadwaj said.
Atishi’s seven-page letter to CEC Rajiv Kumar on January 5, 2025, laid it all out, urging criminal probes for impersonation and fraud. Kejriwal followed up with his own detailed complaint on January 9. Atishi sent another nudge on January 8, chasing updates on any investigations or FIRs.
But the ECI’s response? Crickets. An RTI last month confirmed they received Atishi’s January 9 letter that day, but when AAP asked for details on who handled it, the ECI dodged under RTI exemptions, claiming it wasn’t public interest. They refused file notes, investigation updates, or proof of any FIRs, simply stating "no information available" or "no action pending"—meaning the case got shelved without a peep.
Bharadwaj didn’t spare the ECI brass. He questioned both former CEC Rajiv Kumar for ignoring the complaints and current CEC Gyanesh Kumar for stonewalling info. "Show this to anyone reasonable, and they’ll see it’s clear vote manipulation," he declared.
Echoing recent buzz from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s presser on similar issues, Bharadwaj stressed this is a full-blown racket. Citizens vote believing in fair play, but a handful of power players decide the winners. He mocked the ECI’s quick social media rebuttals—like denying online deletions are possible—saying Form-7 for deletions is still online today. "If their logic holds, how do online passports or driving licenses even work?" he quipped, accusing the ECI of acting like a BJP cheerleader on Twitter.
AAP plans to share all these documents—letters, data, and evidence—on WhatsApp groups and social media so everyone can judge for themselves. "The ECI’s silence screams conspiracy," Bharadwaj wrapped up. As Delhi’s political drama heats up, these voter deletion allegations in the 2025 elections could spark bigger debates on election integrity in India.
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