BJP hits back at AAP: Punjab's SIR process run by state, not Centre
Synopsis
The BJP has turned AAP's Election Commission protest against the party itself — pointing out that Punjab's SIR process is being run by the AAP state government. With a 2015 Kejriwal video on duplicate voters now surfaced, the BJP is framing AAP's protest as a politically motivated U-turn on an issue Kejriwal once championed.
Key Takeaways
Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon on 10 October 2026 called out AAP's protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as self-contradictory.
Dhillon stated the entire SIR exercise in Punjab is being conducted by the AAP state government , with no role for the Centre.
Both CM Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal had previously assured voters that no legitimate name would be deleted from Punjab's electoral rolls.
A 2015 video of Kejriwal, in which he claimed Delhi had over 1.1 million duplicate voters , was cited to allege a political U-turn.
BJP also accused AAP of using the protest to divert attention from pending DA arrears , the drug problem , gangster activity , poor law and order , and rising Punjab debt .
Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon on Saturday, 10 October 2026, launched a sharp counterattack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over its protest outside the Election Commission of India's office in New Delhi against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stating that the entire SIR exercise in Punjab was being conducted by the state government itself — not the Centre.
BJP's Core Charge
Dhillon argued that the AAP protest was politically contradictory. 'Do Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party no longer trust their own government?' he asked, pointing out that it was the AAP-led Punjab government that was administering the SIR process. He said it was 'surprising' that the same government conducting the revision was also staging demonstrations against it.
He added that both Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had 'repeatedly assured' the public that no legitimate voter's name would be removed from the electoral rolls in Punjab. 'When the Chief Minister and the party's national convener have themselves given this assurance, what is the justification for staging a protest outside the Election Commission's office?' Dhillon said.
Kejriwal's 2015 Video Cited
Dhillon also invoked a 2015 video in which Kejriwal had himself claimed that Delhi had more than 1.1 million duplicate voters and had reportedly submitted a list of such names to the Election Commission. The BJP president used this to question why Kejriwal was now opposing the SIR process — designed precisely to verify and clean up electoral rolls — when he had historically flagged the problem of fraudulent voters himself.
'Why is he now taking a U-turn on an issue that he had himself raised earlier?' Dhillon asked. He alleged that AAP, which he accused of 'undermining democracy through electoral manipulation and vote theft', had no moral standing to stage such protests.
Broader Governance Attack
Beyond the electoral rolls controversy, Dhillon widened the BJP's attack to include several pending governance issues in Punjab. He accused the AAP government of failing to address pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears, the state's drug menace, rising gangster-related activities, deteriorating law and order, and Punjab's continuously increasing debt burden.
'Instead of answering these questions, the Aam Aadmi Party is attempting to divert public attention through protests and demonstrations,' Dhillon said. This comes amid a pattern of escalating BJP-AAP confrontation ahead of upcoming electoral cycles, with both parties vying for narrative control in a state the BJP has been seeking to reclaim.
What Happens Next
The SIR process in Punjab is ongoing, administered by state election machinery. The BJP's framing — that AAP is protesting its own government's exercise — is likely to sharpen political debate around the revision's legitimacy and intent. All eyes are now on how the AAP responds to the U-turn allegation and whether Chief Minister Mann issues a fresh clarification on the party's position.
Point of View
Dhillon has handed the party a ready-made contradiction to exploit. The 2015 Kejriwal video on duplicate voters adds a personal credibility dimension that is harder for AAP to dismiss. Yet the BJP's broader governance charges — DA, drugs, debt — suggest this is as much about building a pre-election narrative against a rival ruling in Punjab as it is about electoral roll integrity. The deeper question, which neither party is fully answering, is whether the SIR process has adequate safeguards to prevent genuine voter deletions — and that accountability falls squarely on whichever government is running it.
NationPress
10 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Punjab?
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is an exercise to verify, update, and clean up voter registration lists, removing duplicate or ineligible entries. In Punjab, it is being administered by the state government — currently led by the AAP — in coordination with the Election Commission of India.
Why is the BJP attacking AAP over the SIR protest?
The BJP argues that since the AAP state government is itself conducting the SIR process in Punjab, the party's protest against it at the Election Commission's office in New Delhi is self-contradictory. Punjab BJP President Kewal Singh Dhillon questioned why AAP does not trust its own government's administration of the exercise.
What is the significance of the 2015 Kejriwal video cited by BJP?
In the video, Arvind Kejriwal reportedly stated that Delhi had over 1.1 million duplicate voters and claimed he had submitted a list to the Election Commission. The BJP is using this to allege that Kejriwal is taking a U-turn, having previously demanded removal of fake voter names but now opposing a process designed to do exactly that.
What assurances have AAP leaders given about voter deletions in Punjab?
According to the BJP, both Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had publicly assured voters that no legitimate voter's name would be deleted from Punjab's electoral rolls during the SIR process.
What other issues did the BJP raise against the AAP government in Punjab?
Beyond the SIR controversy, Dhillon accused the AAP government of failing to resolve pending dearness allowance (DA) arrears, the drug problem, gangster-related activities, deteriorating law and order, and Punjab's rising debt — alleging the protest was a diversion from these governance failures.
