New Delhi: High political drama unfolded in the national capital on Tuesday as INDIA bloc MPs marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The march, which began from Makar Dwar of Parliament, was stopped by police near the NITI Aayog office as the Opposition leaders attempted to proceed towards Nirvachan Sadan. The protesting MPs then staged a dharna on the road and raised slogans against the Election Commission.
Rahul Gandhi Climbs Barricade, Waves Tricolour
During the standoff with police, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi climbed atop a police barricade and waved the Tricolour as security personnel prevented the INDIA bloc MPs from moving further towards the Election Commission.
Visuals showed Gandhi standing on the barricade with the national flag as Opposition MPs continued their protest. He later joined other leaders in the dharna after the march was stopped.
Earlier, Gandhi had called for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, posting on social media: “Gyanesh, it’s done, bro. Time to resign.”
Rahul, Priyanka and Other Leaders Detained
Following the standoff, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other Opposition leaders were briefly detained by police.
Among those detained were Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress leaders, according to reports. The detentions came after police stopped the march and the leaders continued their protest on the road.
The detained leaders were released shortly afterwards, with the action being described as brief detention during the protest.
Reuters also reported that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were detained after Opposition lawmakers attempted to breach police barricades during the demonstration.
Opposition Demands CEC’s Resignation
The INDIA bloc has been demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar over what Opposition parties allege are irregularities in the SIR exercise and electoral rolls.
The Opposition has also raised concerns over the Election Commission’s handling of voter registration and deletion-related procedures. The Election Commission and the government have rejected allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that the electoral-roll revision is aimed at removing duplicate and ineligible entries while protecting eligible voters.
The protest came a day after the Supreme Court said it had not approved any modified version of Form 6 used for voter enrolment during the SIR process. The court issued notices to the Centre, Election Commission and other officials while declining to pass an ex-parte interim order suspending the CEC.
Heavy Security Deployed in Central Delhi
Heavy security arrangements were put in place across central Delhi ahead of the march, with police and paramilitary personnel deployed along the route from Parliament towards the Election Commission.
Barricades were erected at several points, including near NITI Aayog and the route leading towards Akashvani Bhawan and Nirvachan Sadan. After being stopped, Opposition MPs sat on the road and continued their protest.
The INDIA bloc’s march was part of its broader campaign against the SIR exercise and its demands for changes in the electoral-roll revision process.