Rahul Gandhi Detained During Protests Against Election Chief
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs were detained in New Delhi while demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over voter list irregularities.
Delhi Police detained Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday during a protest march toward Jantar Mantar. This marked the second time in two days the siblings were detained while leading INDIA bloc demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The protests center on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which began last year in Bihar. Opposition parties and the Cockroach movement allege the Election Commission of India manipulated registrations to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party by removing over 130 million names from voter lists, a process they characterize as vote theft. Rahul Gandhi has vowed to continue the agitation until Kumar resigns, stating that the system will be brought to justice.
In a separate appeal, Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan urged the Chief Election Commissioner to meet with Opposition MPs to reaffirm the commission's independence and impartiality. The Election Commission and the ruling BJP have denied all allegations of manipulation, maintaining that the revision is a non-political effort to remove duplicate and ineligible entries in accordance with the legal framework.
