Rahul Gandhi-led Opposition march to ECI stopped amid heavy security.
DMK and AAP stayed away; several protesters were detained.
Opposition plans continued mobilisation over SIR and electoral rolls.
The Opposition on Tuesday escalated its campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several INDIA bloc leaders leading a march from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters and demanding Kumar’s resignation.
The march, which was aimed at putting sustained political pressure on the poll panel over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), was stopped by security personnel near the NITI Aayog office. Heavy barricading and the deployment of Delhi Police, Central Armed Police Forces and the Rapid Action Force were put in place across central Delhi.
However, in an indication that all is not well within the INDIA alliance, two key opposition parties, the DMK and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), stayed away from the march.
Rahul Gandhi Questions Police Action
Addressing reporters after the march was halted, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha claimed that around 300 Opposition MPs wanted to meet Kumar and the other Election Commissioners but were prevented from reaching the Election Commission office.
“We are elected representatives, but we don't know why we have been stopped here,” Gandhi said, questioning why MPs were not being allowed to meet the poll panel when its office was only about 50 metres away.
Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the government and the Election Commission, alleging that the electoral process had been compromised and accusing Kumar of helping facilitate what he described as “vote chori”.
“Gyanesh Kumar has helped them. Action will be taken against all of them,” Gandhi said, referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
After being stopped, Opposition leaders staged a sit-in. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi later entered the Akashvani Bhavan premises through the reception gate and continued their protest. Congress leaders K C Venugopal, Deepender Hooda, Praniti Shinde and Pawan Khera joined them, while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and TMC leader Derek O'Brien were among other Opposition leaders participating in the mobilisation.
Several Indian Youth Congress and NSUI workers were also detained and were taken to an undisclosed location. A Delhi Police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said detained MPs had been taken to police stations outside central Delhi, including Bawana.
The confrontation came amid a heavy security presence around Akashvani Bhavan and the Election Commission headquarters. Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita were also in force in the area.
During the march, Opposition MPs carried cutouts depicting Kumar in an RSS uniform and raised slogans including “BJP hai CEC hai”, “Vote chor, gaddi chhod” and “Democracy not for sale”. Gandhi later posted on X, “Gyanesh it's done bro. Time to resign.”
Opposition Plans Continued Mobilisation
The latest protest is part of a broader Opposition strategy to keep the Election Commission and electoral rolls at the centre of its political campaign. INDIA bloc leaders have been seeking to sustain the agitation through rallies, demonstrations, public meetings and other mobilisations, arguing that questions over voter rights, electoral transparency and institutional independence cannot be allowed to fade.
The Opposition is also expected to carry the issue into the forthcoming session of Parliament, with the Winter Session likely to begin in November. The strategy is to use continued street mobilisation ahead of the session to build political momentum and force a confrontation with the government over the functioning of the Election Commission and the revision of electoral rolls.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to avoid allegations of misuse of power, Delhi Police personnel deployed around a protest called by Opposition parties were seen wearing body cameras. Senior officials said that the move comes days after three women journalists alleged sexual harassment by police personnel during a previous protest in central Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
These cameras are expected to help maintain a video record of interactions during protests and help the police in case allegations are made against its personnel, sources said.
