India · New Delhi
Opposition MPs Detained on March to Election Commission
In brief
Opposition INDIA bloc lawmakers, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission in New Delhi on Tuesday to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Police stopped the march, and several MPs were briefly detained.
According to The Hindu, police halted the march on Parliament Street, where the MPs sat down in protest. The BBC and Al Jazeera reported that several lawmakers were detained, and Al Jazeera, citing AFP and local media, said Rahul Gandhi was released soon after.
The dispute is over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, which began in Bihar in 2025 and has since spread to most states. The opposition says the process could remove eligible voters and help the ruling BJP. The Election Commission and the BJP reject this and say the revision removes duplicate, dead or ineligible entries.
Pressure grew after the Supreme Court said on Monday that it had not approved any modified version of Form 6, the voter enrolment form, The Hindu reported. The BBC said Congress president Kharge listed three demands: Kumar’s resignation, an end to the SIR, and a return to paper ballots.
Why it matters
Voter lists decide who can vote in the state elections due early next year, so the outcome of this row and the court case could affect millions of voters.
Sources
- The Hindu: INDIA bloc MPs stage sit-in after march to ECI stopped
- BBC News: Police detain opposition leaders in Delhi demanding election commission chief's resignation
- Al Jazeera: India opposition leaders briefly arrested in protest against election chief
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