Rahul, Priyanka, Akhilesh Among Those Detained and Later Released
Staff Reporter / New Delhi
In a show of unity against alleged “vote theft” and voter verification irregularities, nearly 300 Members of Parliament from the opposition INDIA bloc staged a protest march from Parliament to the Election Commission’s headquarters on Monday. Senior leaders including Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav led the march, joined by MPs from Trinamool Congress, DMK, Left parties, and other regional outfits.
The demonstration began at the Makar Dwar of Parliament, with lawmakers holding banners reading “Save the Vote” and chanting slogans such as “Vote thieves, step down!”. The opposition alleges large-scale manipulation of voter lists and irregularities in recent state elections in at least three states. They demanded the Election Commission take immediate corrective measures to safeguard electoral transparency.
The day had already been charged inside Parliament, with noisy scenes in both Houses forcing adjournments until 2 p.m. Once proceedings resumed, opposition MPs proceeded with their pre-announced march.
Delhi Police, however, had warned that no official permission had been granted for the rally. As the procession made its way toward the Election Commission, it was stopped near Transport Bhavan with barricades. Akhilesh Yadav attempted to climb over the barricades, prompting police intervention. When prevented from moving forward, MPs sat down on the road in protest. Priyanka Gandhi, Dimple Yadav, and several others joined in chanting slogans from the spot.
During the standoff, Trinamool Congress MP Mitali Bag suddenly collapsed due to ill health. Rahul Gandhi and fellow MPs rushed to assist her before medical staff attended to her.
Police then detained several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, and a number of other MPs, escorting them to Parliament Street police station. After nearly two hours in custody, all detained leaders were released without charges.
The protest marks one of the INDIA bloc’s most visible joint actions in recent months. Political analysts say the opposition is seeking to frame the alleged voting irregularities as a national democratic crisis, setting the stage for a sharper confrontation with the ruling party ahead of upcoming elections.
All the opposition MPs detained on their way to the Election Commission office on Monday to voice their protest against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged ‘vote chori’ were released after about two hours, police officials said.
More than 30 MPs, including Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and TMC’s Sagarika Ghose, were detained and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station. The Election Commission had only given permission to 30 MPs to enter its premises but the protesters were in “large numbers”, officials said.
Besides, no one had sought permission for the protest march to the Election Commission, they said.