Oppn holds 'T-shirt protest' against SIR, 'vote chori' in Parliament premises

New Delhi: In opposition to the Election Commission's revision of the voter roll in Bihar, a number of Members of Parliament from the INDIA bloc parties protested on Tuesday in the Parliament House complex.

Many of them were wearing white T-shirts with the name of a "124-year-old voter" that was allegedly discovered on the state's voters' list printed on them.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TMC's Derek O'Brien, DMK's TR Baalu, NCP(SP)'s Supriya Sule, as well as other opposition MPs from DMK and Left parties, gathered near Parliament's Makar Dwar.

They held posters and raised slogans, demanding a rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

This was the 15th day of the protest. A banner in front of the protesting MPs read "Our Vote. Our Right. Our Fight", PTI reported.

Another banner carried by the protesting MPs read "SIR - Silent Invisible Rigging".

Several MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi, were seen wearing white T-shirts with 'Minta Devi' and her photo emblazoned on it and '124 Not Out' written on the back.

Congress' Manickam Tagore alleged that the EC under Rajeev Kumar and Gyanesh Kumar has 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," he charged while participating in the protest.

The MPs also carried "Stop SIR" and "vote chori" placards along with posters alleging collusion between the EC and the government.

The opposition has been protesting in both Houses of Parliament against the SIR, alleging that the EC's exercise is aimed at "disenfranchising voters" in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections due later this year.

They have been demanding a discussion on the issue in both Houses.

There has been a logjam in Parliament over the SIR in Bihar.

Barring discussions on Operation Sindoor in the two Houses, Parliament has seen little business ever since the Monsoon session began on July 21 due to repeated adjournments, mostly over the SIR issue.

On Monday, opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Kharge and Pawar, took out a protest march from the Parliament House to the Election Commission office against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged "vote chori", but were stopped midway by the police and briefly detained amid high drama.

As opposition MPs, wearing white caps with a red cross on the words 'SIR' and "vote chori", started walking from Parliament's Makar Dwar to the EC office, carrying placards and banners, they were stopped by the police by putting up barricades outside the PTI Building.

Many of the MPs sat on the road and raised slogans while some women parliamentarians climbed the barricades.

They were later whisked away by police in buses lined up along the road and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station.

All the MPs were later released.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other INDIA bloc members seen wearing T-shirts featuring the name Minta Devi, a voter allegedly listed as 124 years old in the Election Commission's voter list, during their protest over the issues of 'poll fraud' and Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, at the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.