Opposition holds protest against SIR in Parliament complex

Opposition leaders on Tuesday stepped up their attack against the Election Commission over the voter roll revision in Bihar, with protesting MPs holding a huge banner carrying pictures of the election commissioners and raising slogans against the poll body.

The banner, which carried the picture of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and other two election commissioners in the panel Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, also had "vote chor" and the words 'Silent Invisible Rigging' written on them.

The protest in Parliament complex was led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. He was accompanied by prominent opposition leaders and MPs, including Akhilesh Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Kharge later shared a video of their protest in Parliament in a post on X.

"The Election Commission cannot run away from its constitutional responsibility.

INDIA (bloc) has raised serious questions on Free & Fair Elections with evidence, which the Election Commission should answer by investigating and not by intimidating the opposition!" Kharge said in his post in Hindi.

"From the streets to the Parliament, the fight for voting rights continues," he also said.

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.

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.

The opposition MPs have raised the pitch against the CEC and EC after they held a press conference on Sunday. The Opposition says the EC has not answered any of their queries raised.