Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of “hijacking” the electoral process through what he called “vote chori”. Gandhi made the allegations while addressing reporters during an INDIA bloc protest march towards the Election Commission of India headquarters in New Delhi. He said those responsible would be held accountable, while questioning why the Election Commission was not meeting the Opposition MPs who had marched from Parliament to raise their concerns.

“Why is the CEC not meeting us? Why are they stopping us? We represent the people,” Gandhi said after the march was stopped by the Delhi Police. He alleged that Kumar had helped Modi, Shah and Bhagwat “hijack” elections and accused them of destroying democracy. Gandhi also said the Opposition was fighting to protect democratic institutions and questioned the deployment of police personnel to prevent the MPs from reaching the poll panel’s office. “Be it the Prime Minister, Amit Shah, Mohan Bhagwat or Gyanesh Kumar, none of them will be spared,” he said.

The INDIA bloc MPs had marched from the Parliament complex towards the Election Commission headquarters, demanding the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The protest was part of the Opposition’s continuing campaign against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and alleged irregularities in the process. The march was stopped near the NITI Aayog area, following which several Opposition leaders staged a sit-in on the road. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra later entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises along with other leaders in an attempt to continue towards the poll panel’s office, while several Opposition MPs and leaders were detained by the police.

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The confrontation comes amid a broader dispute between the Opposition and the Election Commission over the revision of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have alleged that the SIR process could result in the wrongful exclusion of eligible voters and have demanded greater transparency from the poll panel. The controversy has also intensified following recent Supreme Court proceedings concerning Form 6, which is used for the enrolment of new voters. The Election Commission has rejected allegations that the statutory Form 6 was altered, maintaining that the form itself remained unchanged and that an additional declaration was used as part of the SIR exercise.

The protest also saw heightened security across central Delhi as police deployed barricades and personnel along the route to the Election Commission headquarters. Gandhi climbed onto a police barricade during the march before Opposition leaders were prevented from proceeding further. After being stopped, Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises, where other Congress leaders joined them. The unusual turn in the protest prolonged the standoff between the Opposition and security personnel, with several leaders subsequently detained.

The Election Commission has maintained that the SIR exercise is a lawful process aimed at updating electoral rolls and identifying ineligible entries, while the Opposition has continued to challenge the manner in which the exercise is being implemented. The political dispute has now moved into both the streets and the courts, with the Supreme Court examining petitions related to aspects of the electoral-roll revision and the functioning of the poll panel. Gandhi’s remarks on Tuesday further escalated the Opposition’s criticism, as the INDIA bloc continued to demand accountability from the Election Commission and the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.

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