Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi detained as INDIA bloc MPs march towards Election Commission

Police ​in the ‌Indian capital New ​Delhi ​detained opposition lawmakers, including ⁠Rahul ​Gandhi and ​his sister Priyanka, as they ​tried ​to breach barricades during a protest demanding the resignation of ​the ​country's ⁠chief election ​commissioner on ​Tuesday, ⁠television channels said.

The MPs, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, were stopped near the NITI Aayog office on the road between NITI Aayog and Akashvani Bhavan. They then sat on the road in protest.

Rahul Gandhi was also detained, according to The New Indian Express. Earlier, he and Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee climbed over a police barricade after security personnel blocked the march.

The MPs had begun the protest march from Parliament’s Makar Dwar towards Nirvachan Sadan, the Election Commission headquarters. Priyanka Gandhi, Banerjee, TMC’s Derek O’Brien, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and CPI(M) leader John Brittas were among those taking part.

The protesters raised slogans including “BJP hai CEC hai”, “Vote chor, gaddi chhod” and “Democracy not for sale”.

Rahul Gandhi also posted on X: “Gyanesh it's done bro. Time to resign.”

The opposition’s demand for Kumar’s resignation intensified after the Supreme Court on Monday said it had not approved any modified version of Form 6, the statutory application for voter enrolment. The court said it would examine Election Commission records to determine whether changes had been made and who authorised them.

The Commission had said in a September 26 statement that the declaration attached to Form 6 for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls had been upheld by the Supreme Court.

Opposition parties have accused the CEC of misleading the public and eroding trust in the poll panel. The Election Commission, however, has rejected reports of differences among its three members and said decisions concerning the SIR were taken unanimously.