“Gyanesh, it’s done bro. Time to resign.” With this message, Rahul Gandhi stepped up the INDIA bloc’s confrontation with the Election Commission on Tuesday as opposition MPs marched from Parliament towards the EC headquarters in New Delhi.
Police Stop March Near NITI Aayog
The march, led by Rahul Gandhi and joined by several opposition leaders, was stopped by police near the NITI Aayog area. After being prevented from moving ahead, the MPs sat on the road and staged a dharna. Security was tightened around Parliament and the Election Commission office.
Opposition Demands CEC’s Resignation
The INDIA bloc demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The parties also called for the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh and demanded a return to ballot-paper voting.
Opposition leaders have alleged irregularities in the voter-list revision process and questioned the Election Commission’s handling of electoral rolls. These remain political allegations and are being contested by the authorities.
Voter Roll Revision at Centre of Dispute
The protest comes amid a wider political dispute over SIR. The Election Commission says the revision exercise is aimed at maintaining accurate electoral rolls and ensuring that eligible citizens are included while ineligible entries are removed. The ECI has also been conducting SIR in multiple states and Union Territories in phases.
Opposition Protest Escalates
The latest march is part of a series of opposition protests targeting the Election Commission and its handling of voter-list revisions. Several opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were briefly detained during Tuesday’s confrontation with police.
The dispute over SIR and electoral rolls is now becoming a major political issue ahead of upcoming elections, with the opposition demanding changes and the Election Commission defending the revision process.
The march was stopped, but the political battle over voter rolls and the Election Commission is far from