The INDIA bloc’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar escalated in Delhi as Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition MPs reached Jantar Mantar but were stopped by police barricades, with
several protesters detained.
The latest confrontation came a day after a high-voltage standoff in central Delhi in which Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other Opposition leaders were detained following an hours-long sit-in at Akashvani Bhawan. The INDIA bloc has been demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and alleging irregularities in the electoral process.
On Wednesday, Opposition MPs first gathered for a strategy lunch at Sagar Ratna restaurant on Delhi’s Janpath, hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The meeting was held to decide the bloc’s next course of action and coordinate its campaign.
After the lunch, the MPs boarded buses and headed towards Jantar Mantar, where the Opposition had announced plans to stage a joint protest. However, Delhi Police had put up barricades and blocked routes leading towards the protest site. The buses carrying the MPs were stopped as the police moved to prevent the demonstration from proceeding as planned.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier said the Opposition would go to Jantar Mantar after being prevented from marching to the Election Commission headquarters on Tuesday. He said the bloc wanted to use the designated protest site to continue raising its allegations against the Election Commission and demand action over what it calls “vote chori”.
The Opposition’s decision to return to the streets came less than 24 hours after Tuesday’s dramatic protest. INDIA bloc MPs had attempted to march towards the Election Commission office but were stopped by police barricades. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises and staged a sit-in that continued for more than eight hours before police detained them and other leaders. They were released later that night.
The police action on Wednesday has added another layer to the confrontation, with the Opposition arguing that it should be allowed to protest at Jantar Mantar, while the Delhi Police has maintained that prior permission is required for demonstrations at the site. The police had earlier detained protesters during separate demonstrations at Jantar Mantar over the CEC and electoral-roll issues.
Speaking after the lunch, Kharge said the Opposition would take the issue of “vote chori” to the people and accused the government and Election Commission of undermining democracy. Rahul Gandhi has also continued to demand Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, making the CEC the central target of the Opposition’s latest campaign.
The developments mark a second consecutive day of confrontation between the INDIA bloc and Delhi Police, with the Opposition now attempting to shift its protest from the streets around Parliament and the Election Commission to Jantar Mantar — the city’s designated protest venue.
