Rahul Gandhi Detained Briefly as Opposition Marches on Election Commission in Delhi
Rahul Gandhi Detained Briefly as Opposition Marches on Election Commission in Delhi
Rahul Gandhi detained in Delhi: police briefly held the Congress leader and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday as opposition leaders marched towards the Election Commission headquarters, demanding the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner.
Police stopped the lawmakers as they tried to breach barricades near the commission’s office, television channels reported. The two were part of an INDIA bloc march protesting against the poll panel’s handling of electoral roll revisions, which the opposition describes as “vote theft”.
Reports said Rahul and Priyanka were stopped only about 100 metres from the Election Commission building near Akashvani Bhawan, where several leaders sat in protest on the road before police removed them from the area.
Why the opposition march ended with Rahul Gandhi detained
The march is the latest escalation in a confrontation that began on October 2, when thousands of young protesters took to the streets of Delhi on Gandhi Jayanti demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police had denied permission for a gathering at Jantar Mantar, and hundreds of protesters were detained.
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has accused the Election Commission of manipulating voter lists through its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The opposition says the revision exercise, particularly in Bihar where assembly elections are due in November, risks wrongly deleting eligible voters. The commission has rejected the charges, calling them false and misleading.
In a post on X, Gandhi said the protesters were exercising their constitutional rights peacefully. “A lathi can stop a crowd, but not a question,” he wrote. “Gyanesh Kumar will go. And the system that put him there will go too.”
The Congress has also launched a “Satyagraha” portal inviting citizens to report what it describes as injustices, saying the issues will be raised in Parliament and on the streets.
What happens next
Such detentions in Delhi are usually brief, with opposition leaders released within hours. But the images of India’s most prominent opposition figures being taken away by police will sharpen the political confrontation.
The opposition has vowed to keep pressure on the Election Commission, while the poll panel has so far refused to bend. With Bihar’s elections only weeks away, the fight over the voter rolls is set to dominate India’s political debate in the coming days.
Why was Rahul Gandhi detained?
He was detained along with other opposition leaders while marching towards the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi during a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
What is the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls?
It is the Election Commission’s exercise to revise voter lists. The opposition alleges it is being used to delete genuine voters, particularly in Bihar ahead of November’s assembly elections. The commission denies the charge.
What is the opposition demanding?
The INDIA bloc wants Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign and the electoral roll revision process to be halted or independently reviewed.
