The Winter Session of Parliament witnessed repeated disruptions on Thursday as opposition parties stepped up their attack on the government over alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls and what they termed as “institutionalised vote theft”.

Soon after the Houses met for the day, opposition MPs rushed to the Well raising slogans and demanding a structured debate on the SSR exercise being carried out by election authorities across several states ahead of upcoming polls.

Leaders from multiple opposition parties alleged that large numbers of voters from marginalised communities and migrant workers were either missing from the rolls or shifted without proper verification, and sought a time-bound independent inquiry into the process.

Responding to the charges, ministers from the treasury benches defended the revision of rolls as a routine exercise mandated under election law, arguing that the Special Summary Revision was being conducted as per laid-down guidelines of the Election Commission with multiple layers of scrutiny and opportunity for claims and objections.

The government also accused the opposition of “casting aspersions” on independent institutions for political gain and maintained that any specific complaint related to deletions or additions should be placed before the Election Commission, which has powers to examine and correct the rolls.

The deadlock intensified when opposition MPs linked the SSR issue with their long-standing demand for greater transparency in the electoral process, including questions around voter data, alleged coercion at the local level, and the handling of objections during door-to-door verification.

Adding to the turmoil, sections of the opposition also raised concerns over what they described as attempts by the ruling dispensation to “politically monopolise” national symbols through new campaigns and events, triggering another round of sloganeering and counter-sloganeering in both Houses.

Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chair repeatedly appealed for order and urged members to allow the scheduled legislative business to proceed, but several question hour and discussion slots were disrupted, leading to adjournments and protests spilling into the corridors of Parliament.

Parliamentary Affairs managers are understood to be exploring the possibility of an extended discussion under an agreed rule to ease the standoff, even as both sides publicly stuck to their positions and prepared talking points for the next few days of the Winter Session.