Lucknow: Members of the Samajwadi Party’s women’s wing staged a strong protest in the state capital on Thursday, marching from the district office to the District Magistrate’s office against alleged irregularities in vote counting. The demonstration, led by the women’s wing national president Juhi Singh, disrupted traffic in central parts of the city.
Shouting slogans such as “vote thieves must resign”, hundreds of women gathered outside the DM’s office. They accused the government and administration of facilitating fraud during the counting process. The police were deployed in large numbers, but the agitation continued for hours, creating a tense atmosphere around the DM office.
The women’s wing claimed the agitation was part of a nationwide movement against SIR (Software for Intelligent Results) and alleged “vote theft.” Protesters warned that the agitation would intensify if the government failed to act.
Addressing the crowd, Juhi Singh said, “Democracy rests on the trust of the people. If votes are stolen, this trust collapses. Our fight will continue on the streets and in the legislature to protect the people’s mandate.”
The party has accused SIR of being used to manipulate election results. According to the women’s wing, the software undermines transparency in democracy and enables large-scale tampering during vote counting.

The protest led to traffic jams in several parts of Lucknow, causing inconvenience to commuters. Activists, however, maintained that the disruption was part of a larger struggle to safeguard democracy.
What is SIR?
SIR is a digital tool used in the election process. Opposition has alleged it enables manipulation of vote counting, though election authorities have not confirmed such claims. The issue has become a focal point of politics in recent time