Senior opposition leaders, including Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, were detained by Delhi Police on Monday during a protest march to the Election Commission’s office. The march, organised by the Congress-led INDIA bloc, was aimed at raising objections to what the opposition alleges is collusion between the poll body and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to manipulate voter rolls.

Joint Commissioner of Police Deepak Purohit confirmed the detentions but declined to provide an exact number, stating only that the leaders had been taken to a nearby police station. He noted that the opposition had not obtained prior police permission for the march. Security arrangements around Parliament were tightened early in the day, with barricades and roadblocks set up to prevent protesters from reaching the Election Commission headquarters.

Scenes outside Parliament were charged, with opposition MPs and party workers holding placards, chanting slogans, and attempting to breach police barricades. In one tense moment, some MPs tried climbing the barricades, and two Trinamool Congress MPs, including Mahua Moitra, fainted during the protest. The police presence was heavy, and the protest eventually led to the adjournment of both Houses of Parliament until the afternoon.

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The INDIA bloc has accused the Election Commission of manipulating voter rolls in multiple states, including Maharashtra and Karnataka, and now in Bihar through a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise ahead of state elections. Rahul Gandhi has publicly presented data and demanded the release of a searchable draft voter list to verify discrepancies. Opposition leaders allege that the Bihar revision is an attempt to remove voters aligned with their parties and have taken the matter to the Supreme Court.

Petitioners in the case have questioned the timing and legality of the SIR, arguing that removing voters so close to elections would deny them time to appeal. The court allowed the process to continue but instructed the Election Commission to ensure that legitimate voters are not excluded and that those removed from the rolls are given time to contest the decision. The Election Commission has firmly rejected the allegations, maintaining that its processes are transparent and aimed at safeguarding the integrity of elections.

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