Rahul Gandhi and dozens of opposition leaders detained in New Delhi during rare protest against India’s election commission.
NEW DELHI: Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and around 300 other political figures were detained in New Delhi on Monday during a rare public protest against the country’s election commission. The demonstration targeted what opposition parties claim are electoral irregularities, including manipulated voters’ lists and unfair election practices.
Leaders from the main opposition Congress party, along with allied groups, marched from parliament towards the election commission’s headquarters, shouting slogans and attempting to breach police barricades before being taken away in buses. Gandhi described the protest as a fight “to save the constitution” and called for a “clean, pure voters’ list.”
Opposition parties allege that voters’ names in several states have been wrongly deleted or duplicated to benefit the party of the Indian PM. They also criticised the decision to revise voters’ lists in Bihar ahead of key state elections, warning it could disenfranchise poorer communities.
The election commission has rejected these allegations, stating that voter list revisions are routine, shared with political parties, and intended to remove the names of deceased or relocated voters. The ruling party also dismissed the charges, accusing the opposition of undermining trust in India’s electoral process following a series of election losses.
The protest follows disappointing results for Congress and its allies in two recent state elections, despite their strong showing in last year’s parliamentary vote. Opposition leaders have also raised concerns about electronic voting machines and the vote-counting process — claims denied by the commission.
He was released after a few hours.
