‘Is 124-year-old Minta Devi a first-time voter?’: Opposition sharpens attack on EC over Bihar SIR

The Opposition on Tuesday stepped up its protests over the alleged irregularities in the voters’ list in several states and against the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar.

Several INDIA bloc MPs, including Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were seen wearing t-shirts featuring the photo of one "Minta Devi" during the protest in the Parliament House complex. 

Minta Devi’s name had been mentioned in Rahul Gandhi’s presentation on the alleged voter list fraud last week. Gandhi had alleged that the draft voter list released by the Election Commission in Bihar had the name of Minta Devi, and her age was shown as 124, nine years older than the oldest person on record in the world.

"Minta Devi is a first-time voter, and she is 124 years old. The voters' list carries her name as a first-time voter. We want a discussion on such issues. How EC has become a party to the BJP. The voter list is full of such fraud," said Congress MP Manickam Tagore.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi, TMC's Derek O'Brien, DMK's TR Baalu, NCP(SP)'s Supriya Sule, as well as other opposition MPs from DMK and Left parties, gathered near Parliament's Makar Dwar. They held posters and raised slogans, demanding a rollback of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The opposition led by Congress has been targeting the poll panel and the Narendra Modi government over the alleged ‘vote theft’ and poll rigging in several states, with the parliament witnessing repeated adjournments and disruptions over the last week.

Barring discussions on Operation Sindoor, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have seen little business ever since the Monsoon session began on July 21.