NEW DELHI: The INDIA bloc parties will intensify their protest over the Bihar SIR issue and are likely to hold a march to the Election Commission (EC) headquarters in Delhi, sources said on Thursday. According to the sources, the proposed march could be held next week.They further stated that the Congress-led opposition group met on Thursday morning to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) matter, and decided that it should be their priority for the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament. The group also decided to continue their protests inside and outside Parliament against SIR.

A senior leader described it as “one of the best meetings” of the INDIA bloc, as all parties were on the same page. A second opposition member told news agency PTI that the MPs also discussed holding campaigns to make people aware of the issue, by using terms such as “votebandi”, “vote-chori” (vote-theft), and “vote ki loot” for the exercise, which seeks people to submit documents “establishing their citizenship of India”. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, LoP in Lok Sabha and Congress ex-president Rahul Gandhi, TMC’s Rajya Sabha leader Derek O’Brien, DMK leaders T R Baalu and Triuchi Siva, Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav, NCP (SP)’s Supriya Sule, Raja Ram Singh of the CPI(ML) Liberation, CPI(M)’s John Brittas, and CPI’s P Sandosh Kumar were among those who attended the meeting. Last week, TMC leader Derek O’Brien had stated that the opposition will discuss the option of organising a “gherao” of the poll authority’s office.Parliament has seen protests by opposition members against the ongoing voters’ roll revision in poll-bound Bihar, with both Houses witnessing multiple adjournments through the session so far. The opposition has alleged that the exercise would lead to disenfranchisement of many, mostly from the poor sections, who may not have the documents that the EC is demanding.The EC has firmly defended the drive.