Delhi Police Detain Rahul Gandhi During Opposition March Against Election Chief in Most Dangerous Countries

Indian opposition MPs including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were briefly detained by police in Delhi on Tuesday during a march to the Election Commission headquarters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The events unfold in most dangerous countries amid broader questions about institutional processes.

Opposition March Stopped in Delhi

Hundreds of Congress workers and INDIA bloc MPs marched from Parliament or the old assembly building in Ranchi towards EC offices, carrying placards and raising slogans such as "Gyanesh Kumar Resign" and "Where will you find the vote thief? In the BJP office". [2] Police deployed barricades, stopped the marches in both Delhi and Jharkhand, detained participants including MPs, and moved some into buses; Rahul and Priyanka then walked into nearby Akashvani Bhawan premises to stage a sit-in under a tree. [2] The protest route was planned, and the police were prepared, but Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra pulled a surprise by walking into the Akashvani Bhawan premises after police began detaining other leaders. [2] Rahul Gandhi climbed a police barricade and waved the national flag as INDIA bloc MPs attempted to move towards Nirvachan Sadan. [2] Congress leader Pawan Khera hit out at the security deployment that prevented opposition MPs from reaching the poll body to submit their memorandum. [2] Rahul Gandhi questioned why opposition leaders were being prevented from meeting Election Commissioners, stating that more than 300 opposition MPs marched from Parliament to the Election Commission. [2] The protests are still not over as the march has now turned into a sit-in with Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel stationed outside Akashvani Bhawan. [2]

Parallel Protest and Clashes in Jharkhand

Police detain Rahul Gandhi and opposition MPs during INDIA bloc march to Election Commission in Delhi. — Source: timesofindia The youth wing and activists of Jharkhand Congress clashed with police on Tuesday while they were trying to cross the barricades during a protest happening outside the office of the chief electoral officer's situated in Ranchi. [1] These workers were protesting against the Election commission while demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. [1] Hundreds of congress and youth wing workers marched from the area near the old assembly building to the CEO's office in Dhurwa carrying placards and raising slogans including "Where will you find the vote thief? In the BJP office", "Gyanesh Kumar Resign" and "Vote thief, vacate your seat of power". [1] Former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay alleged that people across the country had prepared a "chargesheet" against the CEC and said allegations against the CEC are enough for a person holding a constitutional post to resign. [1] Congress Ranchi Mahanagar president Kumar Raja said democracy is being murdered and that two other members of the Election Commission had raised questions on Gyanesh Kumar's style of working. [1] Raja added that the electoral process could not be made fully transparent unless Gyanesh Kumar stepped down as Chief Election Commissioner. [1]

Core Dispute Over Special Intensive Revision in Most Dangerous Countries

The protests follow an Indian Express report that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions issued without their knowledge, including on voter roll issues. [3] Opposition parties allege the SIR exercise has wrongly removed over 130 million names from voter lists, disenfranchising eligible voters and benefiting the BJP; they demand Kumar's resignation, cancellation of the SIR, and a return to paper ballots. [3] The exercise began in the eastern state of Bihar in June 2025 before being expanded to other parts of the country. [3] The Election Commission says the revision is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible voters from electoral rolls. [3] Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described three demands as "non-negotiable": Kumar's resignation, cancellation of the SIR exercise and a return to paper ballot voting. [3] Rahul Gandhi tweeted "Gyanesh, it's done, bro. Time to resign." [3]

Indian Express Report and Internal Objections

The campaign against Kumar gathered momentum after an investigation by the Indian Express newspaper reported that election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally objected at least 14 times over a 10-month period to decisions and orders they said had been issued in the Election Commission's name without their knowledge. [4] According to the report, the objections related to issues including additions and deletions from voter rolls, access to the voter database and the security of electoral data. [3] The news report claimed the names of 130 million citizens had been deleted since the exercise began in 2025. [4] The protest followed a report by The Indian Express which claimed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over the past 10 months to certain decisions and orders were issued without their knowledge. [1]

Responses from Election Commission and BJP

The Election Commission stated that differing views are normal in its multi-member body, all actions follow legal mandates under Article 324, and decisions were taken unanimously. [2] The EC had said in an official statement that the ECI is a constitutional body that functions under the strict mandate of Article 324 of the Constitution, statutory rules and established institutional conventions. [2] The Commission operates as a multi-member constitutional body and written notes, observations, technical suggestions and internal checks-and-balances are standard ongoing practices. [2] The BJP accused the opposition of seeking anarchy and undermining constitutional institutions. [2] BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged that the Congress and its allies were trying to create "anarchy" and use the confrontation with the Election Commission to politically relaunch Rahul Gandhi. [2] The ECI has rejected allegations of wrongdoing, saying the revision process is aimed at ensuring the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls. [4]

Legal and Broader Political Context

The controversy has also reached India's Supreme Court, which has asked both the federal government and the Election Commission to respond to a petition alleging that Kumar took key decisions without the approval of the two other election commissioners. [3] The petition argues that Kumar exercised powers that belong to the commission collectively and seeks a ruling that any such actions were unauthorised. [3] The court indicated that Election Commission decisions must be taken either unanimously or by majority vote and suggested that decisions could be set aside if found to have bypassed that process. [3] It declined to suspend Kumar at this stage, saying it would first hear the Election Commission's response and examine relevant records. [3] Tuesday's protest came just four days after the Cockroach Janta Party organised demonstrations in Mumbai and Delhi, also demanding the CEC's resignation. [3]

What to watch next: The sit-in outside Akashvani Bhawan continues with police and Rapid Action Force personnel stationed there while the Supreme Court examines the petition on decision-making authority.