Kejriwal accuses BJP of voter list manipulation in Delhi, calls it 'Operation Lotus'

Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and former Chief Minister of Delhi, has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to manipulate the voter lists in the New Delhi constituency in preparation for the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. Kejriwal alleged that since December 15, BJP has been filing applications to delete 5,000 names from the voter rolls while adding 7,500 new voters. Kejriwal termed this operation "Operation Lotus" and claimed it is aimed at altering the outcome of the upcoming elections by manipulating the electorate in his constituency.

The total number of registered voters in the New Delhi Assembly constituency, as of the latest revision, stands at 106,873, based on the list released after the summary revision conducted between August 20 and October 20. The final updated list was published on October 29. Kejriwal emphasized that the proposed changes, which involve deleting 5,000 voters and adding 7,500, would account for around 12% of the constituency’s total voter base. He questioned the legitimacy of holding elections if such a large portion of the electorate was being manipulated through alterations to the voter list.

Kejriwal also pointed to similar incidents in other constituencies, particularly Shahdara, where BJP had filed approximately 11,000 applications for voter deletions. The Election Commission intervened in Shahdara, preventing the deletions from being processed. According to election law, any request for the deletion of more than 2% of voters in a constituency must be verified by the Electoral Registration Officer, which Kejriwal argued was not done in these cases. He also questioned whether the Election Commission’s revision of the voter list, which involved door-to-door verification, had missed such discrepancies.

The AAP leader further alleged that BJP had been involved in bribing voters in a bid to influence their decisions. He claimed that BJP leaders had been distributing money to sway voter opinions in the New Delhi constituency, although Kejriwal did not provide direct evidence of these claims. He emphasized, however, that despite such efforts, many voters remained determined to cast their ballots according to their own choice.

In addition to these allegations, Kejriwal wrote a letter to the District Electoral Officer of New Delhi, drawing attention to the recent rise in applications for voter additions and deletions in the constituency. He urged the Election Commission to ensure strict vigilance over the matter to prevent any further tampering with the voter list. Kejriwal’s accusations come ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections, with the AAP focusing on ensuring a fair and transparent electoral process. The Election Commission has not yet issued a response to the allegations.