On August 11, 2025, Delhi Police detained nearly 300 opposition MPs from the INDIA bloc, including Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Sanjay Raut, during their protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The MPs were protesting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, alleging that the process was manipulated to exclude eligible voters, especially minorities, to favour the ruling BJP. The police blocked the march citing lack of permission and overcrowding, leading to detentions after some MPs attempted to breach barricades.
Rahul Gandhi described the protest as a fight to save the Constitution and ensure “one person, one vote,” while strongly opposing what he called widespread “vote chori” (vote theft) and electoral malpractice.
The Protest and Immediate Impact
The INDIA bloc MPs planned to submit a memorandum to the ECI demanding transparency and correction of Bihar’s electoral rolls ahead of the crucial state elections in November 2025. Opposition leaders condemned the SIR exercise, which involved door-to-door verification intended to remove ineligible names but allegedly disenfranchised around 6.5 million voters, predominantly Muslims in border districts.
Rahul Gandhi accused the Election Commission and the BJP of colluding to facilitate “huge criminal fraud” in the elections by manipulating voter rolls. The protest escalated when MPs tried to breach police barricades near Transport Bhawan, leading to detentions and sit-ins, with some MPs fainting during the confrontation.
The police maintained the protest lacked official permission and cited overcrowding to justify their actions.
Rahul Gandhi’s Vote Chori Allegations and Controversy
Rahul Gandhi has publicly alleged “vote chori” by presenting cases such as a 70-year-old woman named Shakun Rani, whom he claimed was registered as a first-time voter twice and whose identity was allegedly used to cast two votes.
He asserted that documents shown in his presentation highlighted a greater pattern of voter fraud across states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Bihar, accusing the Election Commission of shielding the ruling BJP’s manipulation efforts by withholding evidence like CCTV footage from polling booths. Gandhi called on citizens to demand digital voter rolls for transparency.
However, the Election Commission has strongly refuted these claims, stating that the documents Gandhi presented were not authentic and were not issued by polling officers. The ECI has demanded Gandhi provide official declarations or evidence supporting his allegations, warning that failure to do so would imply the accusations are baseless.
Background: The Special Intensive Revision Controversy
The SIR, conducted from June 25 to July 26, 2025, was the first major revision of Bihar’s electoral rolls since 2003. It involved door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to remove deceased, duplicate, and relocated voters and include new eligible voters.
The Election Commission reported cutting the voter list from 78.9 million to 72.4 million by removing millions of ineligible entries. However, the opposition and civil society have highlighted significant flaws, raising issues with missing eligible first-time voters and the lack of transparency in deletions. Petitions challenging the SIR’s constitutionality are pending with the Supreme Court.
आज जब हम चुनाव आयोग से मिलने जा रहे थे, INDIA गठबंधन के सभी सांसदों को रोका गया और हिरासत में ले लिया गया।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 11, 2025
वोट चोरी की सच्चाई अब देश के सामने है।
यह लड़ाई राजनीतिक नहीं – यह लोकतंत्र, संविधान और ‘एक व्यक्ति, एक वोट’ के अधिकार की रक्षा की लड़ाई है।
एकजुट विपक्ष और देश का हर… pic.twitter.com/SutmUirCP8
