Opposition MPs detained during march to EC office, demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation

NEW DELHI: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with several INDIA bloc MPs, were detained by Delhi Police on Tuesday while attempting to march to the Election Commission headquarters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The opposition MPs began the march from the Parliament complex towards Nirvachan Sadan. Police stopped them on Parliament Street, near the NITI Aayog office and Akashvani Bhavan, citing security restrictions. The MPs then staged a sit-in on the road, raising slogans against the CEC and the BJP-led government.

Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee were seen climbing a police barricade after security personnel blocked the protesters from moving ahead.

The protest was joined by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, TMC leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, CPI(M) leader John Brittas and Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, among others.

Protesters displayed cut-outs depicting Gyanesh Kumar in an RSS uniform and raised slogans including “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod” and “Democracy is not for sale”.

Rahul Gandhi later posted on X: “Gyanesh, your time is up brother. Time to resign.”

The opposition’s protest is linked to the controversy surrounding changes to Form-6, used for voter registration, during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Supreme Court on Monday clarified that it had not approved any revised version of Form-6 and said it would examine Election Commission records to determine whether changes had been made and who authorised them.

Opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of misleading the public over the court’s observations. CPI MP P Santosh Kumar said the Supreme Court’s remarks had strengthened the opposition’s objections to the additional declaration introduced in Form-6 during the SIR exercise.

The Election Commission had earlier said the Supreme Court had upheld the declaration added to Form-6 for the SIR process. It also maintained that the standard forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would continue to be used outside the SIR exercise.

Opposition leaders alleged that public confidence in the poll panel had declined under Gyanesh Kumar’s leadership and demanded his resignation.

The Election Commission, however, has rejected allegations of internal divisions, saying decisions related to the SIR exercise were taken unanimously by the three-member panel.