INDIA bloc MPs protest in Parliament complex against SIR exercise in Bihar

Several MPs of the opposition INDIA bloc parties protested in the Parliament complex on Wednesday against the Election Commission's special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and demanded its rollback and a discussion on the issue in both houses.

Ahead of the start of the day's proceedings, top leaders and MPs of the opposition, including those of the Congress, DMK, TMC, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, RJD and Left parties, assembled outside the Makar Dwar of Parliament and raised slogans against the government and the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll.

Top leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, DMK's T R Baalu, Shiv Sena-UBTs Sanjay Raut, Kalyan Banerjee of TMC, besides others, raised slogans like "Save democracy" and "Stop vote-bandi".

Many of them were seen wearing black clothes and carrying placards against the SIR in Bihar.

The opposition has been protesting in both houses of Parliament against the SIR, alleging that the EC's exercise was aimed at disenfranchising voters in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections.