New Delhi Police Detain Opposition Legislators During Protest Demanding Election Commissioner’s Resignation

Police in New Delhi briefly detained several opposition legislators, including senior Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday during a march demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Lawmakers participating in the approximately one-kilometre protest from Parliament to the Election Commission headquarters carried placards, waved the national flag, and chanted slogans against Kumar. The demonstrators were detained after attempting to breach police barricades. All detained lawmakers were released shortly after.

The protest marks the third consecutive day of mass demonstrations led by opposition parties, student groups, and the “Cockroach” youth movement. Protesters accuse the election panel of manipulating voter registrations to favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“The election commission is a puppet in the hands of the government,” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge told reporters at the start of the march.

The BJP dismissed the allegations. “After failing multiple times, Congress leaders have decided to establish anarchy in the country and attack institutions,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters ahead of the protest.

The unrest stems from a Special Intensive Revision of voter lists that began in Bihar last year and has since expanded to most states and federally administered territories. Critics argue the process demands confusing and difficult-to-obtain documentation, which could exclude millions of eligible voters. Election Commission data indicates voter rolls could shrink by up to 30 percent in certain regions.

The Election Commission maintains that the revision aims to remove duplicate, deceased, or ineligible entries to ensure electoral integrity. On Friday, the commission instructed officials to register eligible voters who were inadvertently omitted from the rolls.