INDIA Bloc Leaders Detained As Police Halt March To Election Commission In Delhi
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Several INDIA Bloc leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Akhilesh Yadav, were detained on Tuesday after police stopped their march towards the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi, where they were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) controversy.
The protesters were stopped near NITI Aayog, where INDIA bloc MPs staged a sit-in. Some protesters climbed onto police barricades while slogans including “vote chor, gaddi chhod” were raised.
Rahul Gandhi Calls For CEC’s Resignation
During the protest, Rahul Gandhi waved the Tricolour after climbing onto a police barricade. He also took a direct swipe at Gyanesh Kumar, writing on X: “Gyanesh, it’s done, bro. Time to resign.”
INDIA bloc MPs and supporters raised slogans targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the CEC as they attempted to proceed towards the Election Commission.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule were among the opposition leaders who participated in the protest.
Opposition Targets SIR Process
The protest centres on the Opposition’s allegations concerning the SIR exercise and changes to voter enrolment forms. The Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that decisions relating to SIR were taken unanimously.
The controversy intensified after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over 10 months to SIR-related decisions and orders that they said were taken without their knowledge.
The Election Commission has maintained that there was no split in the three-member panel and that decisions were taken collectively.
Kharge Accuses Government Of Undermining Voting Rights
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the government was undermining citizens’ rights and accused the Election Commission leadership of acting at the Centre’s behest.
Kharge said the universal adult franchise secured after Independence was being undermined, while Congress MP Dharamveer Gandhi alleged that millions of voters had been removed from electoral rolls.
These claims are part of the Opposition’s political attack on the SIR exercise and have been rejected by the BJP and the Election Commission. The ECI has also recently disputed Rahul Gandhi’s allegations concerning changes to Form 6, calling them misleading.
SIR Controversy Reaches Supreme Court
The dispute has also entered the legal arena. The Supreme Court has been hearing petitions challenging aspects of the Election Commission’s functioning and the nationwide SIR exercise.
The latest protest in Delhi marks another escalation in the political confrontation over the electoral roll revision process, with the Opposition demanding accountability from the poll panel and the Election Commission defending its procedures.
