The Election Commission on Tuesday clarified that it had received no request from any political party seeking a meeting with the poll panel, even as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders protested near its headquarters. The clarification came amid an Opposition march from Parliament Street towards the Election Commission office, which ended in a standoff with police.

Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other MPs were stopped near Akashvani Bhawan and NITI Aayog while attempting to proceed towards the Election Commission headquarters. The Opposition leaders were seeking an opportunity to meet the election commissioners and raise their concerns over the conduct of the electoral process.

Rahul Gandhi later entered the All India Radio premises after crossing police barricades and remained there for several hours. Security personnel prevented the protesters from continuing towards the Election Commission office, while police action also resulted in the detention of several Opposition leaders participating in the march.

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Asked whether Rahul Gandhi or any INDIA bloc leader had sought a meeting with the poll panel, Election Commission officials said no request had been received from any political party on Tuesday. The clarification came as the Opposition maintained its demand for access to the election commissioners and continued its protest over electoral issues.

Several Opposition leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress MPs Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O'Brien, were detained after police stopped the march. The protest was organised amid Opposition demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

The Opposition's concerns also include alleged differences within the Election Commission. The protests followed a September 25 report in The Indian Express that raised questions about the SIR process and referred to alleged differences among the election commissioners. The Election Commission's clarification on Tuesday added another point of contention between the poll panel and the protesting Opposition parties.

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