Minta Devi, a resident of Bihar, has criticised those responsible for a clerical error that listed her as a 124-year-old on the Election Commission's voter list and also questioned the Opposition MPs who protested over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the national capital by wearing T-shirts featuring her name and alleged age.
INDIA bloc MPs led by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra staged a demonstration in Parliament wearing T-shirts featuring Minta Devi's name emblazoned with the slogan '124 Not Out' to highlight errors in the electoral roll.
Who gave them the right to wear T-shirts featuring me?
The 35-year-old Bihar woman, whose name is now trending on social media, said, "I came to know about this 2-4 days back... Who are they (Opposition MPs) to me? Who is Priyanka Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi to me? Who gave them the right to wear T-shirts featuring me?... I think there are discrepancies (in the list)... I did not get anyone's (from the administration) phone call... Why are they becoming my well-wisher over my age?... This should not be done, I do not want this..." she said.
"I want my details to be corrected... Whoever entered the details, did they do so with their eyes closed?... If I am 124 years old in the eyes of the government, why are they not giving me old age pension? My Aadhaar Card mentions 15-07-1990 as my date of birth," she added.
'EC made me grandma': Minta Devi
The Election Commission has made me a grandma, said Minta Devi, suppressing a laugh. If the draft electoral rolls in Bihar were to be believed, the "first-time" voter, at "124 years", could well be the oldest in the state, where more than 7 crore electors will be exercising their franchise in a couple of months.
"How can I be blamed for the goof-up? I had filled up my enumeration form online, after having waited in vain for a visit by the booth-level officer," said the 35-year-old.
According to news agency PTI, the Siwan district administration has issued a statement claiming that Minta, who is a would-be voter of the Daraunda assembly segment, has been contacted and remedial steps were taken well before the anomaly made headlines.
"An application was obtained from Minta Devi on August 10 for rectifying the error, to which her attention was drawn by the BLO. It will be dealt with during the claims and objections phase (of special intensive revision of electoral rolls)".
Minta Devi, however, is enjoying a good laugh. "I am thrilled that, finally, at the age of 35, I may get a chance to cast my vote. Many polls have passed since I became eligible, but somehow my name never made it to the voters' list. If the EC has made me a grandma (daadi bana diya) in the process, it is fine with me. I have nothing to fear. I had stated my year of birth as 1990, the same as in my Aadhar card. I cannot help it if in the draft rolls 1990 has been made 1900," she told reporters.
Who is Minta Devi?
Minta Devi, a 35-year-old resident of Arjainipur village in Siwan district, is a first-time voter. She is the wife of Dhananjay Kumar Singh and was registered under Booth No. 94 in the Daraundha Assembly segment of the Siwan Lok Sabha constituency. Her name appeared at Serial No. 526 in the draft list.
However, the electoral roll lists her year of birth as 1900, making her 124 years old — a glaring mistake. In the section where a house number should be written, her husband’s name was entered instead.
What is the political row?
Upon discovering the anomaly, Opposition leaders including Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Mallikarjun Kharge launched a dramatic protest outside Parliament in Delhi. Wearing T-shirts bearing Minta Devi’s photo and the slogan "124 Not Out", they accused the Election Commission (EC) of colluding with the BJP in what they called "vote chori" (vote theft).
Rahul Gandhi claimed that this was not an isolated case and warned of “unlimited” similar entries, implying a larger manipulation in the electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly polls.
Widespread protests have erupted in poll-bound Bihar over the voter roll revision, with INDIA bloc parties accusing the Election Commission of colluding with the ruling BJP to selectively remove voters' names. The poll panel has strongly denied the allegations, asserting that the revision process was carried out with complete transparency.
Elections for the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly are expected later this year, likely in October or November.
(With agencies input)
Also Read: Bihar SIR row: Supreme Court backs EC, says Aadhaar not valid proof of citizenship
Also Read: Minta Devi, a '124-year-old voter', becomes face of Opposition MPs protest: Who is she?
