INDIA Bloc’s ‘Vote Theft’ March Faces Police Roadblock

A planned march by MPs from the INDIA bloc to the Election Commission (EC) headquarters in New Delhi on Monday, 11 August 2025 has been met with resistance from Delhi Police, who confirmed that no permission has been granted for the protest.  

According to a Hindustan Times report, over 300 parliamentarians from approximately 25 opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, DMK, AAP, the Left, RJD, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), and National Conference, are scheduled to march from Makar Dwar at the Parliament to Nirvachan Sadan (the Election Commission office) at around 11.30 am, to protest alleged “vote chori” (vote theft) in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.  

However, Delhi Police, speaking off the record, stated that no formal application for permission had been submitted by the INDIA bloc to organise a protest, casting doubt on whether the march will be allowed to proceed.  

The INDIA alliance has instructed participating MPs not to carry the bloc’s official banner, allowing for AAP’s involvement despite its recent exit from the alliance. Protest materials such as posters and banners will feature slogans in multiple regional languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and Marathi, signalling a broad, inclusive appeal. 

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, reiterated the alliance’s demands via a post on X, stating:

“Vote Chori is an attack on the foundational idea of ‘one man, one vote’. A clean voter roll is imperative for free and fair elections. Our demand from the EC is clear be transparent and release digital voter rolls so that people and parties can audit them. The fight is to protect democracy.”  

The march represents a deepening confrontation over electoral integrity, especially amid the contested SIR process in Bihar. The INDIA bloc sees the revision as a mechanism that could potentially disenfranchise voters, particularly rural and marginalised communities and, combined with prior allegations of vote theft, has heightened mistrust of the electoral system.