Opposition protest in Parliament complex against Bihar's electoral roll revision
What's the story
Opposition leaders, including Congress's Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, staged a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Bihar on Friday. The protest was staged outside the Mahatma Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex, where they raised slogans and displayed posters with "SIR" written on them. The leaders demanded transparency and equal access to data from the Election Commission of India (ECI).
Twitter Post
Opposition leaders stage protest
#WATCH | Delhi: INDIA bloc MPs, in the presence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, protest and raise slogans against the Special Intensive Revision Exercise (SIR) being carried out in Bihar. pic.twitter.com/tcpJCOrqkS
— ANI (@ANI) July 25, 2025
Accusations
'Centre intends to deprive the poor of their voting rights'
The opposition has accused the ECI and the central government of deliberately revising voter lists to disenfranchise certain voter groups ahead of Bihar's Assembly polls. Kharge alleged that the Centre intends to deprive poor voters of their rights, saying, "They intend to deprive the poor of their voting rights and let only the elite vote." Priyanka also questioned why all political parties don't have access to data from ECI.
Protest expansion
Opposition united for this cause
On Thursday, several MPs of the INDIA bloc parties, including Congress parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, had also protested in the Parliament House complex. As they queued up on the steps of Parliament's Makar Dwar to protest, a large banner read, 'SIR - Loktantra par Vaar.' The opposition has been demanding a rollback of the voter list revision and a discussion on this issue in both houses of Parliament.
Voter deletions
ECI's explanation for deletion of voters
The ECI has released data showing that 56 lakh names have been marked for deletion from Bihar's voter rolls. This includes 20 lakh dead voters, 28 lakh who have permanently moved to another state, seven lakh multiple registrations, and one lakh uncontactable voters. The opposition's protest is likely to continue as they seek a discussion on this issue in Parliament.