New Delhi, August 18 (HS): The Opposition on Monday staged a protest inside the Parliament complex against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Bihar, alleging it is a ploy for “voter theft.”

The demonstration was led by Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, who was joined by senior leaders including Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader of Congress Pramod Tiwari, Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, SP MPs Dharmendra Yadav and Priya Saroj, as well as RJD MP Manoj Jha, among other Opposition parliamentarians.

Carrying banners and posters that read “Roll Back SIR” and “Stop Voter Theft”, the MPs raised slogans against the Election Commission, demanding an immediate halt to the exercise in Bihar.

Later, Kharge posted on X (formerly Twitter), asserting: “The Election Commission cannot shy away from its constitutional duty or ignore the genuine concerns of political parties. The right to vote is the most fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. Any attempt to strangle democracy in India will be firmly resisted.”

The Opposition has vowed to intensify its campaign until the voter list drive is rolled back, framing the SIR exercise as an attack on electoral fairness in Bihar.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar