Delhi Police on Tuesday detained opposition lawmakers, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi, as they attempted to breach barricades during a protest march to the Election Commission headquarters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The detentions, reported by television channels and carried by Reuters, came as the INDIA bloc's march — centered on the opposition's allegations of "vote theft" and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls — was stopped by security personnel in front of the NITI Aayog office.
A morning of escalation
Around 150 MPs were expected for the march. Leaders assembled at Makar Dwar of Parliament around 10:30 AM, and the march toward the ECI began at about 11:08 AM.
As the procession neared the Election Commission, Samajwadi Party MPs climbed the Delhi Police barricades near the NITI Aayog office. Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs then staged a sit-in near the EC office. Police detained Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other SP MPs around 12:09 PM, and by 1:03 PM Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka had managed to enter Akashvani Bhawan.
Prominent leaders in the march included Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The protest call followed a 19-party INDIA bloc meeting on September 30.
The allegation at the heart of it
The opposition alleges large-scale "vote theft" and faults the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, citing what it calls irregularities in the voter-enrolment process. Chief Justice Surya Kant clarified on October 6 that the Supreme Court had not approved any modified version of Form 6, the statutory voter-enrolment application.
Akhilesh Yadav said it was nothing new that allegations had been made against the Election Commission, and that it should take impartial decisions that do not appear biased. SP MP Anand Bhadouria said the protest would continue until Gyanesh Kumar resigns, while RJD MP Manoj Jha said no election can be fair under his chairmanship. The sources read for this report carried no ECI response to the allegations.
Sources:
Reuters: Police detain Rahul Gandhi at poll chief protest, TV channels say
Times Now: INDIA bloc ECI protest live updates
The Hindu: INDIA bloc march on ECI — live updates
The detentions, reported by television channels and carried by Reuters, came as the INDIA bloc's march — centered on the opposition's allegations of "vote theft" and irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls — was stopped by security personnel in front of the NITI Aayog office.
A morning of escalation
Around 150 MPs were expected for the march. Leaders assembled at Makar Dwar of Parliament around 10:30 AM, and the march toward the ECI began at about 11:08 AM.
As the procession neared the Election Commission, Samajwadi Party MPs climbed the Delhi Police barricades near the NITI Aayog office. Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs then staged a sit-in near the EC office. Police detained Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other SP MPs around 12:09 PM, and by 1:03 PM Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka had managed to enter Akashvani Bhawan.
Prominent leaders in the march included Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The protest call followed a 19-party INDIA bloc meeting on September 30.
The allegation at the heart of it
The opposition alleges large-scale "vote theft" and faults the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, citing what it calls irregularities in the voter-enrolment process. Chief Justice Surya Kant clarified on October 6 that the Supreme Court had not approved any modified version of Form 6, the statutory voter-enrolment application.
Akhilesh Yadav said it was nothing new that allegations had been made against the Election Commission, and that it should take impartial decisions that do not appear biased. SP MP Anand Bhadouria said the protest would continue until Gyanesh Kumar resigns, while RJD MP Manoj Jha said no election can be fair under his chairmanship. The sources read for this report carried no ECI response to the allegations.
Sources:
Reuters: Police detain Rahul Gandhi at poll chief protest, TV channels say
Times Now: INDIA bloc ECI protest live updates
The Hindu: INDIA bloc march on ECI — live updates
