AAP accuses BJP, EC of colluding in vote deletion during Assembly poll

Delhi unit chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Saurabh Bharadwaj, on Friday accused the BJP of colluding with the Election Commission (EC) to delete votes of party supporters during the 2025 Assembly elections in the Capital.

Addressing a press conference, Bharadwaj claimed that AAP leaders had raised the issue repeatedly in the past. He said former Chief Minister Atishi had written to the Election Commission while AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal had filed a formal complaint.

“Despite dozens of complaints and RTI applications, the EC neither acted nor replied. Instead, it quietly closed the files on this massive conspiracy while openly helping the BJP by targeting opposition leaders on social media,” he alleged.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s press conference on Thursday, Bharadwaj mentioned that AAP had raised this issue for years.

“Unlike the Congress, we don’t have the budget for large LED screens. Based on suggestions, we have brought colour printouts so that people can view the evidence,” he added.

“Between October 29 and December 15, 2024, as many as 2,776 deletion applications were filed. On December 16, there were 234 applications; on December 17, 298 applications; on December 24, 1,103 applications; on December 25, 982 applications; and on December 26, another 989 applications. In short, thousands of applications filed across these days,” he claimed referring to the letters.

On January 5, then CM Atishi sent a seven-page letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar in which she demanded investigations be initiated in cases where fraudulent identities were being used for voter deletion.

Similarly, on January 9, Arvind Kejriwal also wrote to the CEC on the party’s letterhead, again providing detailed information about the fraudulent activity in the New Delhi assembly constituency, he said.

“The then CEC Rajiv Kumar and the current CEC Gyanesh Kumar — both their roles are suspicious. One did not initiate an investigation; the other is now hiding information. I say this with full responsibility. Show this to any reasonable person and they will say this is clearly vote theft. It is happening openly,” he claimed.

Poll panel rebuts charge

The Election Commission of India (EC) on Friday said that it had responded to concerns raised by the AAP regarding a surge in addition and deletion of voters’ names from the New Delhi Assembly constituency, by sending a detailed letter to the then Chief Minister Atishi in January this year itself.

The poll body was responding to allegations of vote theft levelled by AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj in New Delhi constituency, from where party chief Arvind Kejriwal had contested in the Assembly elections held in February this year.

The EC said in a post on X that the letter to Atishi consisted of several annexures, where the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi had informed her of having taken all the necessary steps to address the concerns raised by her regarding deletion of voters’ names in constituency.

The letter, the ECI said in a post on X, had mentioned that all the allegations levelled by the delegation of the AAP had been looked into and appropriate action had been taken.

“Accordingly, a delegation of your party consisting of Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann, Sanjay Singh and your good-self met the Commission to submit your grievances in person. During the meeting, the issue of alleged additions and deletions and violation of model code of conduct was mentioned by the delegation. Further, in the meeting another letter was received from you on the same subject matter of alleged surge in addition and deletion applications in the New Delhi constituency’s voter list. Accordingly, Chief Electoral Officer, NCT of Delhi, was asked by the Commission to inquire into, ascertain actual facts and take immediate appropriate action in accordance with model code of conduct, electoral laws and extant guidelines of the commission and also send an action taken report to the Commission. The officer has submitted reply to the Commission. She has also annexed the report of the New Delhi DEO, which answers in details all the concerns raised,” the EC’s statement read.