‘I’m Not 124 Years Old’: Bihar’s Minta Devi Slams Opposition Over T-Shirt Protest
Minta Devi from Bihar’s Siwan has found herself unexpectedly at the centre of a political row — and a social media trend — over a clerical error that lists her age as 124 years in the Election Commission’s draft voter rolls.
The 35-year-old, whose photo and name were printed on T-shirts worn by opposition MPs including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during a protest in New Delhi, questioned their right to use her image.
“Who are they to me? Who gave them permission to wear my photo? Why are they suddenly acting like my well-wishers over my age? I do not want this,” she told reporters.
While amused by the mistake, Minta stressed that she wants the records corrected. “If the government believes I am 124 years old, then I should get an old-age pension,” she quipped, adding that her Aadhaar card clearly shows her date of birth as 15 July 1990.
She alleged that her name had never appeared on the voter list before, despite being eligible for years. “I had filled the enumeration form online after the booth-level officer never visited. How can I be blamed if 1990 in my form became 1900 in the draft rolls?”
The Siwan district administration, in a statement, said the anomaly had been flagged earlier and steps for correction were already underway. “An application was obtained from Minta Devi on August 10 for rectifying the error. It will be addressed during the claims and objections phase of the voter list revision,” the statement read.
Minta, unfazed by the sudden political attention, said she is simply looking forward to voting for the first time. “If the EC has made me a grandma, so be it. At least I may finally get my name on the list,” she said with a laugh.
