New Delhi [India], August 11 : Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Monday criticised the Opposition's INDIA bloc for marching to the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged irregularities in Bihar's voter lists, saying the Commission should serve them a notice "asking why a political party's affiliation should not be cancelled."
Speaking to ANI, Majumdar said,"Election Commission (EC) is a constitutional body. EC should serve them (Opposition) a notice asking why a political party's affiliation should not be cancelled?."
Senior INDIA bloc leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and NCP (Sharad Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar, led a march from Parliament to the ECI headquarters in New Delhi to protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar and alleged "voter fraud" in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Delhi Police were seen stopping the MPs who were raising slogans of "vote chor" as they marched towards the office of the poll body at Nirvachan Sadan.
The protest march began from the Makar Dwar of the Parliament under the leadership of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The MPs began their march to urge the EC to address their concerns on the alleged "voter theft"
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, who was part of the protest march, said, "Questions are being raised on our democracy. In UP, by-elections were held on 10 Vidhan Sabha seats; not only were votes stolen, but booths were captured. Why didn't the Election Commission take action against the officers who were working on orders of the state government?"
RJD MP Manoj Jha said that SIR is a "fraud" and accused EC of not providing classified data.
"If you cannot meet MPs citing the excuse of space, then that in itself is a comment on what kind of work you are doing... This (SIR) is a fraud; you are not providing classified data. Despite the Supreme Court's instructions, your (Election Commission) stubbornness is not going away," Jha said.