Opposition MPs Stage ‘T-Shirt Protest’ Against SIR and Alleged ‘Vote Chori’

NEW DELHI:

Several MPs from 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, alleging irregularities and voter disenfranchisement.

The protest, now in its 15th day, saw senior leaders including 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, and NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule gather near Parliament’s Makar Dwar alongside MPs from the DMK and Left parties.

Wearing coordinated white T-shirts, many MPs highlighted the case of a “124-year-old first-time voter” allegedly listed in Bihar’s electoral rolls. The T-shirts bore the name and photograph of ‘Minta Devi’ on the front, with the words “124 Not Out” printed on the back. Banners displayed at the protest read “Our Vote. Our Right. Our Fight” and “SIR Silent Invisible Rigging”.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore alleged that the Election Commission, under Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar and Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, had become “a department of the BJP”. “Minta Devi is a first-time voter and she is 124 years-old. The voters list carries her name as 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,” Tagore said during the protest.

Participants carried placards reading “Stop SIR” and “vote chori”, accusing the poll body of collusion with the government. The opposition claims the voter roll revision exercise in Bihar is intended to remove legitimate voters ahead of the state assembly elections due later this year. They have been demanding a full discussion on the issue in both Houses of Parliament.

The ongoing dispute has led to a legislative deadlock since the Monsoon Session began on 21 July, with repeated adjournments and little parliamentary business conducted except for discussions on Operation Sindoor.

On Monday, several opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, and Sharad Pawar, had marched from Parliament to the Election Commission’s office as part of their protest. Wearing white caps with a red cross over the words ‘SIR’ and “vote chori”, they carried banners and placards. The march was stopped midway outside the PTI Building, where police had set up barricades.

Some MPs sat on the road chanting slogans, while a few women parliamentarians climbed the barricades in defiance. Police then detained the group, escorting them in buses to the Parliament Street Police Station. All MPs were later released.

The Election Commission has not issued a detailed public response to the allegations, but the opposition has vowed to continue its demonstrations until their demand for a parliamentary discussion is met.

With assembly elections in Bihar approaching, the protests over the SIR exercise have become a central flashpoint in the ongoing political confrontation between the INDIA bloc and the government.