Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the opposition’s protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar is aimed at protecting citizens’ right to vote and safeguarding the country’s democratic principles. He accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to undermine free and fair elections.
Kharge’s remarks came after senior opposition leaders were stopped from marching to the Election Commission (EC) office in New Delhi. The march was organised by the INDIA bloc—a coalition of opposition parties—to oppose the SIR process, which they allege is being misused to manipulate voter lists in Bihar.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Kharge wrote, “BJP’s cowardly dictatorship will not work! This is a fight to protect the people’s right to vote. This is a struggle to save democracy.” He also alleged that the BJP is running a conspiracy to “shred the Constitution” and that the INDIA alliance will expose it.
The SIR exercise is an EC initiative aimed at revising and updating electoral rolls. However, opposition leaders claim the process in Bihar is being carried out selectively, with the intention of removing genuine voters and influencing the upcoming elections. The BJP has dismissed these allegations as unfounded and politically motivated.
Tensions between the ruling party and the opposition have been escalating ahead of the general elections. The INDIA bloc has made electoral reforms, transparency in the voting process, and the protection of constitutional rights central themes of its campaign against the BJP.
Kharge’s statement reflects the opposition’s broader strategy to frame the SIR controversy as part of a larger battle for democratic integrity. “The allies of the INDIA coalition will surely expose this BJP conspiracy,” he said, emphasising unity among opposition ranks.
The Election Commission has yet to respond to the latest allegations but has previously maintained that the SIR process is a standard and impartial mechanism to ensure accurate voter rolls.
As the dispute unfolds, both sides appear determined to use the SIR issue to rally supporters, setting the stage for a heated political contest in the months ahead.
