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Rahul Gandhi leads Opposition MPs in the fresh protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR process for second day in a row. (Img: X)
New Delhi: The Opposition’s confrontation with the Election Commission escalated in Delhi as Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and INDIA bloc MPs resumed their protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The second day of protests saw Opposition leaders detained amid heavy security and barricading, while the INDIA bloc moved its fresh demonstration to Jantar Mantar, keeping the political battle over voter lists and the Election Commission at the centre of national attention.
After a strategy meeting and lunch hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at Sagar Ratna in Delhi, Opposition MPs boarded buses for Jantar Mantar to continue their protest.
Rahul Gandhi led the fresh mobilisation, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other Congress leaders joined the programme. The Opposition is demanding action against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and is raising allegations of irregularities in the voter-list revision process.
The move came just a day after a dramatic confrontation between Opposition MPs and Delhi Police during their attempted march towards the Election Commission headquarters.
The Opposition has been targeting the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, alleging irregularities and raising concerns over the inclusion and deletion of voters.
The Election Commission has maintained its position on the electoral-roll revision process, while the Opposition has continued to demand greater accountability and answers from the poll body.
The issue has now expanded beyond a disagreement over voter lists, with the demand concerning CEC Gyanesh Kumar becoming a central part of the Opposition’s campaign.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was among the Congress leaders detained by Delhi Police during the ongoing agitation. According to the Congress leader’s account, she was detained after refusing to leave the protest site. She also alleged that women police personnel manhandled her and other protesters during the confrontation.
The allegations are part of the Congress version of events and come amid a wider dispute between the Opposition and police over the handling of the protests.
Rahul Gandhi also resisted detention and remained at the protest site as the Opposition continued its demonstration. The Congress leader has maintained that the Opposition wants to raise its concerns directly with the Election Commission and has questioned the handling of its attempts to meet the poll body.
Wednesday’s protest followed an intense day in Delhi when Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were among Opposition leaders detained after an extended sit-in near Akashvani Bhawan. The previous day’s confrontation continued for several hours before police removed and detained the protesting leaders.
Before moving towards Jantar Mantar, around 300 INDIA bloc MPs and Opposition leaders gathered for a lunch meeting hosted by Mallikarjun Kharge at Sagar Ratna in Delhi. The meeting was aimed at discussing the next course of action following Tuesday’s confrontation and deciding how to continue the campaign over the SIR process and the demand concerning the CEC.
The lunch meeting was followed by the decision to move towards Jantar Mantar for another protest, turning the second day into another major political mobilisation in the national capital.
Delhi Police stepped up security around the protest route and Jantar Mantar as Opposition MPs moved towards the designated demonstration site. The heightened security follows Tuesday’s standoff, when police barricades were used to stop the Opposition march towards the Election Commission.
On Wednesday, buses carrying Opposition MPs were stopped close to Jantar Mantar, triggering another confrontation. Some Congress leaders were seen protesting around the buses as police maintained a heavy presence in the area. The scenes have added another dramatic chapter to the continuing confrontation between the Opposition and the authorities.
The dispute is no longer limited to a single protest or one meeting with the Election Commission. For the Opposition, the SIR issue has become part of a larger campaign over electoral transparency and alleged voter-list irregularities. The demand concerning Gyanesh Kumar has become one of its key political messages.
For the authorities and the Election Commission, the controversy centres on the electoral-roll revision process and the rules governing protests and access to the poll body. The repeated protests, detentions and clashes over barricades have pushed the Election Commission row into the national political spotlight. The INDIA bloc has indicated that its campaign will continue, with Jantar Mantar becoming the latest focal point of the protest.
New Delhi: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticised the police action during the Opposition’s Delhi protest, saying such measures would not weaken their campaign. He urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set aside what he called “arrogance” and seek CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, as the Congress intensifies its challenge over the SIR process.
New Delhi: During his detention in Delhi, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi offered water bottles to police personnel from the bus and acknowledged their duty. “You are all doing your work,” he told the officers. The moment unfolded amid the INDIA bloc’s protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR process.
Security personnel removed Congress workers from atop a bus carrying detained Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. The development came during the INDIA bloc’s protest against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and alleged SIR irregularities, as heightened security measures and detentions marked the Opposition’s demonstration in the national capital.
New Delhi: Congress MP Shafi Parambil was involved in a confrontation with Delhi Police during the INDIA bloc’s protest in Delhi against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the SIR process. Police personnel attempted to remove protesters from the site as tensions rose, with several Opposition leaders being detained during the ongoing demonstration.
New Delhi: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra staged a dramatic protest in Delhi by lying on the road while holding a copy of the Constitution. Her action came during the Congress-led demonstration targeting CEC Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
