INDIA bloc protests ECI, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi detained in Delhi

The INDIA bloc held a protest march in New Delhi against the ECI over alleged electoral roll irregularities. The march was stopped by police, and key leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were detained and later released.

Tensions flared in the national capital as the INDIA bloc staged a protest march to Nirvachan Sadan against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India (ECI) over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, while Delhi Police detained several opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The protest came amid the Opposition's sustained campaign against alleged discrepancies in electoral rolls and its demand for greater transparency from the poll panel. The protest was a part of a broader "Save Democracy" campaign announced by the Opposition, under which its leaders have been holding demonstrations and public programmes against the ECI.

The INDIA bloc MPs, along with the support of the BJD leaders, marched towards Nirvachan Sadan. However, the march was stopped as it met with heavy barricading by Delhi Police and security forces. Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, along with his fellow MPs, were also seen atop the barricades as Delhi Police personnel attempted to halt the advancing march.

Opposition Leaders Detained, Slam Centre

As Delhi Police detained several opposition leaders, Congress leaders, led by Rahul Gandhi, arrived at the Akashvani Bhawan, where they staged a dharna for hours. Later, at night, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several Congress leaders were detained by the police and taken to the Kingsway Camp. The leaders were then released from detention. Following his detention, Rahul posted on X, “To save the traitors of democracy, the remnants of democracy have been dragged through the mud. There will be a reckoning - not a single traitor will be spared.”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the detention of opposition leaders. In an X post, Kharge claimed that Rahul Gandhi was peacefully protesting when the Delhi Police “forcibly” detained him. “Shri @RahulGandhi was peacefully sitting on a dharna, demanding a meeting with the Election Commission. Registering a peaceful protest is his constitutional right. Despite this, forcibly detaining the Leader of the Opposition by the Delhi Police, controlled by Amit Shah, raises serious questions about the Constitution and democratic rights. Considerable nervousness is evident in the behaviour of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. Remember— in a democracy, the ultimate power lies with the people. The people hold everyone accountable for every action,” the post read.

INDIA Bloc Questions ECI's Impartiality

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the BJP, alleging that the poll panel was not functioning impartially and accusing the ruling party of defending the Commission because it "manipulates the system through them." Speaking to reporters, Yadav said, "The Election Commission ought to function impartially. Its duty is to facilitate voter registration and maintain an infrastructure that ensures the general public faces no inconvenience or hardship. It should not act at the behest of the BJP. We are agitating against the Election Commission...The sit-in protest is still ongoing."

During the protest at Akashvani Bhawan, Rahul Gandhi asked the Election Commissioners to meet the opposition leaders and answer their questions regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the nation. He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of “hijacking” the country and undermining the electoral process. He said, “300 opposition MPs were removed from there, so I came here and sat. We just want to meet Gyanesh Kumar and the other election commissioners. We are all opposition MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and we just want to talk to them. Don’t know why the Election Commission does not want to talk to us. Crores of people have voted for us. We just want to ask questions, but they don’t want to answer.”

Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad said, "The reason we are sitting on protest here continuously is that we want CEC Gyanesh Kumar to resign. He is actively working to undermine this country's Constitution and democracy. From the very constitutional office he holds, he is taking steps to revoke the fundamental right to vote—a right granted by the Constitution—which is wrong. That is why we are here."

Protests Gain Nationwide Support

The INDIA bloc gained support even from parties outside the alliance, including the BJD. In a call for a wider outreach, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also expected to join a protest at the Chief Electoral Officer's office in Delhi on Wednesday. The protest gained support from Congress’ regional units and youth and student wings.

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar backed the INDIA bloc MPs' protest march, saying Rahul Gandhi was “fighting for the cause of the people and the electorate of this country”. While addressing the media on allegations of voter names being deleted in Karnataka, CM Shivakumar said BJP leaders should first certify that they had submitted the required forms and said anyone who feels their vote has been “snatched” has a duty to file a complaint. “Let Yediyurappa, Bommai, Kumaraswamy, Shobha, Shobha Akka, Vijayendra, and Ashok certify that, yes, we have given the forms... it is the duty of anyone who feels that the vote has been snatched to file a complaint... we have gone to the election commission. The process itself in Form 7 is detailed, and they will take action as per the law. That is a different case. So, if they were in our position, what would they have done?” he said.

In Telangana, Congress, along with the Left parties, CPI, CPI(M) and SUCI, staged a protest outside the Collectorate Office in Hyderabad demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Congress leader Motha Rohit said that the party will stage a gherao of the Lok Bhavan on October 8 and hold a protest in Delhi on November 1.

Motha Rohit said, "The way democracy is being murdered today, with Gyanesh Kumar working for the BJP across the country and actively removing eligible voters from the rolls, the Congress party, together with the entire INDIA alliance, is protesting nationwide. As part of this campaign, a protest is being held today in front of the Hyderabad Collector's office.” “On October 8, we will lay siege to the 'Lok Bhavan' alongside all the allied parties and the general public. Furthermore, we will stage a massive protest in Delhi on November 1st; I want to state clearly that our agitation will continue until he is removed from his position. Our demand to Narendra Modi is that Gyanesh Kumar be arrested and forced to resign from his post,” he added.

ECI, Police and BJP Respond to Protest

While the INDIA bloc leaders stated they wanted to meet the Election Commissioners, the Election Commission of India (ECI) clarified that no political party had sought an appointment with the poll panel until 4 pm. In a statement issued after the Opposition protest, the ECI said it was informed by Delhi Police at around 4 pm that a delegation of about 240 MPs, led by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, wished to meet the Election Commissioners and submit a memorandum at the Parliament House Annexe. The poll panel said it considered the proposed venue and the manner in which the meeting was sought “unusual” in view of its established protocol.

Meanwhile, defending the detentions, Delhi Police said that no application seeking permission for the proposed march was submitted to the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi District. Consequently, no permission was granted for the said march, Delhi Police said. The police termed the gathering as a violation of the prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). Police stated that to maintain law and order and prevent the situation from escalating, the Delhi Police removed the protesters from Akashvani Bhawan.

Meanwhile, the BJP has accused the INDIA bloc of targeting a constitutional body. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that repeatedly attacking constitutional institutions would neither benefit democracy nor help the grand old party regain public support. Rijiju said Rahul Gandhi and the Congress should stop what he described as a "daily drama" of targeting the ECI.

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