Opposition Intensifies Protest Over Alleged Voter Roll Irregularities in Bihar

 A day after their high-profile march to the Election Commission, leaders of the INDIA bloc on Tuesday escalated their protest in Parliament against alleged “voter theft” and discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar.

Several opposition MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, appeared in T-shirts featuring the photograph of “Minta Devi,” a voter spotlighted in Rahul Gandhi’s recent presentation on purported electoral irregularities. The back of the shirts read “124 Not Out,” referencing the draft voter roll’s claim that Minta Devi was 124 years old—nine years older than the world’s oldest verified person.

Criticizing the Election Commission, Congress MP Manickam Tagore alleged that under Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the institution had “become a department of the BJP” and “completely failed” in its duties. “For example, Minta Devi is a first-time voter but is recorded as 124 years old. We want a full discussion on this issue,” he said, describing the draft voter list as “fake” and stating that the T-shirts were intended to expose these anomalies.

The demonstration drew senior leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Derek O’Brien, T.R. Baalu, and Supriya Sule, who gathered at Parliament’s Makar Dwar. The protest followed Monday’s dramatic scenes when Parliament proceedings were disrupted over the SIR issue, culminating in the detention of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and other INDIA bloc MPs during their march from Parliament to the EC office.