INDIA bloc MPs head to Nirvachan Bhavan to protest over electoral rolls

Updated at 12:15 p.m.; an earlier version was published at 8:48 p.m.

Around 300 MPs of the INDIA bloc have begun the protest march from the Makar Dwar of Parliament to the Nirvachan Sadan in Delhi, seat of the Election Commission of India, to protest against the irregularities in the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and amplify the concerns around the electoral malpractices around the 2024 Lok Sabha polls alleged by the Opposition under the tag 'vote chori'.

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Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, will lead a protest march of around 300 MPs from the INDIA bloc to the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi on Monday, 11 August.

The march, set to begin at 11:30 am from Parliament House, will cover approximately one kilometre to the Election Commission office. The demonstration is being held to oppose the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar and to raise concerns over alleged electoral malpractices.

Joining Rahul Gandhi in the march will be other senior leaders and MPs from the opposition alliance.

The INDIA bloc has accused the ruling BJP government of attempting to manipulate voter rolls in its favour, thereby undermining the democratic process.

The protest aims to pressure the ECI into taking transparent action and ensuring the integrity of voter lists.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will host a dinner meeting for INDIA bloc MPs later on Monday.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Congress launched an online campaign to mobilise public support against what it has termed as "vote chori" (vote theft).

Rahul Gandhi shared a post on his X handle, urging citizens to register on a newly launched web portal — votechori.in/ecdemand, or give a missed call to 9650003420 to support the cause.

"Vote chori is an attack on the foundational idea of 'one man, one vote'. A clean voter roll is imperative for free and fair elections. Our demand from the EC is clear - be transparent and release digital voter rolls so that people and parties can audit them," Rahul Gandhi wrote on X."

"This fight is to protect our democracy," he added.

In a related development, the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Karnataka has written to Rahul Gandhi, seeking evidence to back his claim that a voter had cast her ballot twice during the previous Lok Sabha elections.