Senior opposition leaders, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, were detained by Delhi Police on Monday morning as protests over alleged collusion between the Election Commission (EC) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified in central Delhi.
The Congress-led INDIA bloc began the day with plans to march to the EC office near Parliament to demand accountability over voter list manipulations and alleged voter fraud during recent elections. Police responded by setting up barricades, deploying large numbers of security personnel, and blocking roads around Parliament to contain the protesters.
Visuals showed a large group of politicians and supporters waving placards, chanting slogans, and clashing with police barricades. During the protest, Trinamool MP Mitali Bag fainted and received assistance from Rahul Gandhi. The unrest led to both Houses of Parliament being adjourned until 2 pm.
The opposition accuses the EC of collaborating with the BJP to manipulate voter lists to secure electoral victories. They highlight irregularities such as an unusually high number of new voters appearing just months after the Maharashtra state election, which BJP lost, and similar concerns about the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka.
Last week, Rahul Gandhi presented detailed data backing claims of widespread voter fraud and demanded the EC release a searchable draft of voter lists to enable error verification. The protests are also fueled by the EC’s “special intensive revision” (SIR) of the Bihar voter list, ordered months before the state polls, which has been challenged in the Supreme Court.
Critics argue the revision is illegal, exceeds the EC’s authority, and was timed to exclude key opposition vote banks. The EC has rejected the use of common government IDs like Aadhaar for voter re-verification, raising further questions.
The Supreme Court allowed the SIR to proceed but directed the EC to ensure genuine voters are not disenfranchised and to provide an appeals process for those excluded—approximately 6.5 million people.
The EC has strongly denied all allegations, asserting its procedures are transparent and designed to ensure free and fair elections. It has demanded Rahul Gandhi provide signed affidavits and evidence supporting his claims.
