Senior opposition MPs, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, were detained by Delhi Police on Monday morning during protests against the Election Commission (EC), accusing it of colluding with the ruling BJP. The protests spilled into the streets near the Parliament building in central Delhi.
Addressing reporters as he was being taken away, Rahul Gandhi said, “This fight is not political… it is to save the Constitution. The fight is for ‘one person, one vote’.”
Joint Commissioner of Police Deepak Purohit confirmed the detention of opposition leaders but did not specify the number. He added that the protesters did not have police permission for the rally.
Visuals from the protest showed a large crowd of politicians and party workers waving placards, shouting slogans, and attempting to push through police barricades. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav was seen climbing over barricades during the unrest. Trinamool Congress reported that two of their MPs, including Mahua Moitra, fainted amidst the chaos.
The Congress-led INDIA bloc had planned a march to the Election Commission’s office to protest alleged voter fraud by the ruling BJP and the EC. Police responded by blocking roads around the Parliament, setting up barricades, and deploying heavy security to contain the protesters. The situation led to both Houses of Parliament being adjourned until 2 pm.
The opposition’s allegations have been brewing since last year’s Maharashtra elections, accusing the EC of manipulating voter lists to favor BJP candidates. They pointed to anomalies such as an unusually large number of new voters appearing just six months after the state’s federal election, which the BJP lost. Similar concerns have been raised regarding the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka.
Last week, Rahul Gandhi presented data in meetings of the INDIA bloc to support claims of widespread voter fraud. He demanded that the Election Commission release a searchable draft of voter lists to enable verification by the opposition.
The protests also intensified following the EC’s “special intensive revision” (SIR) of Bihar’s voter list, initiated months before the state elections. The revision is challenged in the Supreme Court, with petitioners claiming it exceeds the poll panel’s authority and warning that excluded voters might miss their chance to appeal. The opposition alleges that this exercise is a BJP strategy to remove traditional opposition vote banks.
Additionally, concerns have been raised over the EC’s rejection of common government IDs, including Aadhaar and even the EC’s own voter ID card, for re-verification purposes. The Supreme Court allowed the SIR to continue but directed the EC to ensure genuine voters are not excluded and that the roughly 6.5 million excluded voters have time to appeal.
The Election Commission has strongly denied all allegations, asserting its commitment to free and fair elections. It has demanded that Rahul Gandhi substantiate his claims with a signed affidavit and provide proof.
