Opposition MPs Protest With '124-Year-Old Minta Devi' T-Shirts, EC Calls It an Error

Several opposition MPs on Tuesday came to Parliament wearing T-shirts with the name 'Minta Devi' and her photo printed on them. On the back, the T-shirts had the slogan '124 Not Out.' This was part of their protest in the Parliament House complex against the Election Commission’s voter list revision in Bihar.

The leaders claimed Minta Devi was a “124-year-old first-time voter” whose name was found on Bihar’s voter list. They demanded that the special intensive revision (SIR) process in the election-bound state be stopped. “There are many cases like this. Abhi picture baki hai (there is more to come),” Congress MP Rahul Gandhi told reporters when asked about Minta Devi.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who also wore the T-shirt, alleged that there were several such cases where names, addresses, and even details of relatives were fake.

Claim Found Incorrect After Verification

However, the media checked revealed that Minta Devi, registered in Siwan’s Daraunda Assembly constituency, is not 124 years old but actually 35. A senior Election Commission official explained that her age was recorded wrongly because of an error in her application form.

Protest Against Bihar Voter List Changes

Opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, have been protesting against the voter list revision in Bihar. Calling it “vote chori” (vote theft), they alleged the Election Commission’s exercise is meant to “remove genuine voters” before the assembly polls later this year.

Election Commission’s Clarification

Election officials defended the revision, saying many “ineligible voters” had managed to get voter ID cards because no special intensive revision had taken place in Bihar since 2004. They also pointed out that some people have multiple voter cards for different constituencies, sometimes knowingly and sometimes by mistake.

Draft Roll Open for Objections

The poll panel said that so far no political party has formally requested changes to the draft voter list in Bihar. It confirmed that 10,570 applications have been received from individual voters for name inclusion in the draft roll. The Election Commission added that the draft list will remain open for claims and objections until September 1.