NEW DELHI: Opposition leaders on Tuesday intensified their attack on the Election Commission (EC) over the voter roll revision in Bihar, staging a protest inside Parliament complex with a large banner displaying photos of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The banner carried the words “vote chor” and “Silent Invisible Rigging (SIR).”
The demonstration was led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, joined by senior opposition figures including Akhilesh Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Kharge later posted a video of the protest on X, saying, “The Election Commission cannot escape its constitutional responsibility. INDIA bloc has raised serious questions on free and fair elections with evidence. The EC must respond through investigation, not by intimidating the opposition. From the streets to Parliament, the fight for voting rights continues.”
Opposition parties have been disrupting proceedings in both Houses, accusing the EC of trying to “disenfranchise voters” in Bihar ahead of assembly elections due later this year. Apart from discussions on Operation Sindoor, parliamentary business has been stalled since the Monsoon session began on July 21 due to repeated adjournments over the SIR issue.
The protests escalated after a press conference by the EC on Sunday, which the opposition claims failed to address their concerns.
