Rahul Gandhi Detained Again During Protest Demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s Resignation

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi was detained by Delhi Police on Wednesday.

While leading a protest march toward Jantar Mantar, as opposition parties stepped up their campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the revision of electoral rolls.

Gandhi, along with several opposition lawmakers and protesters, was stopped before reaching the designated protest site in New Delhi. Video footage showed police taking him into a vehicle after the demonstrators attempted to proceed with their march. Several other opposition leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were also detained.

The opposition has been demanding Kumar’s resignation and has accused the Election Commission of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Election Commission and the government have rejected the allegations, saying the exercise is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries while ensuring that eligible voters remain on the rolls.

Why Is The Opposition Protesting?

The protests centre on the nationwide SIR exercise, which began in Bihar and has since expanded to other states and Union territories.

Opposition parties allege that the revision has disproportionately affected voters who support opposition parties and have demanded that the exercise be halted and wrongly removed names restored.

The Election Commission and the government deny that the revision has any political motive and maintain that the process is aimed at cleaning up electoral rolls.

Rahul Gandhi Detained Again

Wednesday’s detention came a day after Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders were also detained during a protest near the Election Commission.

On Wednesday, opposition lawmakers attempted to reach Jantar Mantar for a sit-in after a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders. Police stopped their buses less than a kilometre from the protest site, citing restrictions on demonstrations in the area.

The latest action marked another escalation in the confrontation between the opposition and authorities over the electoral-roll revision. The Congress and its allies have vowed to continue their protests and press for Kumar’s resignation.

The demonstrations come amid wider political tensions over the Election Commission’s handling of the voter-list revision, with both sides continuing to dispute the allegations surrounding the exercise.