A day after the massive stir by Opposition MPs, the politics over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) continued to rage on Tuesday. While Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok
Sabha reiterated his stance that the EC was not enforcing “one man, one vote” mentioned in the Constitution, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) IT cell chief and spokesperson Amit Malviya questioned why Gandhi wasn’t submitting his allegations to the EC on an oath. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, began its special hearing into the case, with Justice Surya Kant saying the EC was correct in saying that Aadhaar cannot be accepted as a conclusive proof, it has to be verified.
VIDEO | "We are protecting the Constitution. EC not doing its duty of enforcing 'One Man, One Vote'… There are countless cases like Minta Devi," says Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on SIR and '124-year-old voter Minta Devi on the Bihar's voters' list'
(Full video available on PTI… pic.twitter.com/m4WEHkTyON
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 12, 2025
‘Picture abhi baaki hai’: What Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday
Gandhi last week launched a campaign against what he called “vote chori” by the EC in collusion with the BJP. He gave several examples to substantiate his allegations that votes are being stolen, there are duplicate voters, those with fake and invalid addresses, bulk voters or single address voters, voters with invalid photos and those misusing Form 6 of new voters. He alleged it was institutionalised theft and that SIR would lead to the disenfranchisement of large numbers of citizens, particularly vulnerable groups like minorities, who might struggle to produce the strict documentation required.
When asked about the 124-year-old voter Minta Devi on Bihar’s voters’ list’ on Tuesday, who also featured on T shirts of some Opposition MPs, he said, “This is not just one seat, there are lots of seats. It is being done on the national level, systematically. The Election Commission knows it, we know it. We are protecting the Constitution. The Election Commission is not doing its duty of enforcing ‘One Man, One Vote’ which is the foundation of the Constitution. There are countless cases like Minta Devi. We are only protecting the Constitution. We will keep doing it. There are unlimited cases. We won’t stop. Picture abhi baaki hai.”
Why is Rahul Gandhi dodging making a representation to the Election Commission on oath?
Because he knows—
📜 False declaration → Punishable under Sec 31, RP Act 1950
📜 False evidence → Punishable under Sec 227, BNS 2023
Both mean imprisonment!Reprimanded by the Supreme… pic.twitter.com/lEg3gEcCBH
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 12, 2025
‘Rahul Gandhi is scared’: What Amit Malviya said on Tuesday
The chief electoral officers of several states, including Karnataka, refutedthe claims. The Election Commission has been asking Gandhi to sign an oath under its rules to substantiate his claims or issue an apology for the allegations levelled by him against the constitutional body. Gandhi has been asked to declare, “I am not/ I am an elector of the said constituency, I have personal knowledge relevant to this case and am making this statement voluntarily.”
The Congress and Gandhi have been refusing to file the claims on oath saying it is the EC data that they are quoting.
Malviya on Tuesday wrote on X: “Why is Rahul Gandhi dodging making a representation to the Election Commission on oath? Because he knows— False declaration → Punishable under Sec 31, RP Act 1950 False evidence → Punishable under Sec 227, BNS 2023 Both mean imprisonment! Reprimanded by the Supreme Court for false statements in the past, habitual offender Rahul Gandhi is clearly scared and does not believe in his own so-called investigation.”
#WATCH | Delhi: INDIA bloc leaders continue to protest over the alleged voter fraud and SIR issues. MPs were seen wearing T-shirts featuring the name Minta Devi, a voter allegedly listed as 124 years old in the Election Commission's voter list. pic.twitter.com/LVhS3I5CZJ
— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2025
Monday drama, Tuesday T-shirts
Monday saw high drama with Opposition MPs, including Leaders of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, marched from Parliament House to the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi. The Delhi Police halted the protest march with barricades near Transport Bhawan, a few metres from the Parliament complex, and detained the MPs. Congress MP K Suresh on Tuesday said the INDIA bloc’s protest to the Election Commission has made a strong impact across the country.
Several Opposition MPs arrived wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan ‘124 Not Out’.
Prominent leaders such as Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), MP Supriya Sule, and DMK MP Kanimozhi were seen holding onions during the protest.
‘Be ready with facts and figures’: The SC hearing
The Supreme Court on Tuesday commenced hearing a batch of pleas challenging the Election Commission’s decision to conduct special intensive revision (SIR) exercise in poll-bound Bihar.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi began hearing senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for RJD leader Manoj Jha, arguing while in one constituency the poll panel claimed 12 people were dead, they were found alive whereas in another instance alive persons were declared dead. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the poll panel, said the exercise of such a nature was “bound to have some defects here and there” and to claim that dead persons were declared alive and alive as dead could always be corrected as it was only a draft roll.
Sibal: Aadhaar, ration, EPIC cards not accepted
J Kant: They're right in saying they can't be accepted as conclusive proof. Under notification, what's the procedure provided when you submit these documents?#SupremeCourt #BiharSIR
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) August 12, 2025
The bench told the poll panel to “be ready” with facts and figures for it would be question over the number of voters before the exercise commenced; number of dead before and now aside from other relevant details.
On July 29, terming the election commission a constitutional authority deemed to act in accordance with law, the top court said it will step in immediately if there is “mass exclusion” in the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar.
The draft roll was published on August 1 and the final roll is scheduled to be published on September 30 amid opposition claims that the ongoing exercise will deprive crores of eligible citizens from their right to vote.
On July 10, the top court asked the EC to consider Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards as valid documents as it allowed the poll panel to continue with its exercise in Bihar.
With Agency Inputs
