Opposition holds 'T-shirt protest' against Election Commission's SIR, 'vote chori' in Parliament premises

Several MPs of the INDIA bloc staged a protest in the Parliament House complex on Tuesday against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar, with many wearing white T-shirts bearing the name and photo of a “124-year-old voter” allegedly found on the state’s rolls.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TMC’s Derek O’Brien, DMK’s T R Baalu, NCP(SP)’s Supriya Sule, along with MPs from the DMK and Left parties, gathered near Parliament’s Makar Dwar. They held posters, raised slogans and demanded that the SIR exercise be rolled back. Tuesday marked the 15th day of their protest.

A banner in front of the MPs read “Our Vote. Our Right. Our Fight,” while another declared “SIR – Silent Invisible Rigging.” Many MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi, wore T-shirts with “Minta Devi” printed on the front alongside her photograph, and “124 Not Out” emblazoned on the back.


Congress MP Manickam Tagore alleged that the Election Commission under Rajeev Kumar and Gyanesh Kumar had “become a department of the BJP.” He said, “Minta Devi is a first-time voter and she is 124-years-old. The voters’ list carries her name as a first-time voter. We are wanting a discussion on such issues. How EC has become a party to the BJP. The voter list is full of such fraud.”

Protesters carried placards reading “Stop SIR” and “vote chori,” accusing the poll panel of colluding with the government. The opposition has charged that the SIR exercise is aimed at “disenfranchising voters” in Bihar ahead of the state’s assembly elections later this year. They have been demanding a debate in both Houses of Parliament.

The SIR issue has triggered a prolonged logjam in Parliament, with repeated adjournments since the Monsoon session began on July 21. Apart from discussions on Operation Sindoor, little business has been transacted in either House.

On Monday, opposition leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and Sharad Pawar had marched from Parliament House towards the Election Commission office, protesting against the Bihar voter list revision and alleging “vote chori.” They were stopped by police outside the PTI Building, where barricades had been erected.

Some MPs sat on the road and shouted slogans, while women MPs climbed the barricades. Police detained the protesters briefly, taking them in buses to the Parliament Street Police Station before releasing them.