Gandhi siblings' surprise move revives opposition protest outside poll panel office

UPDATE - follow-up to INDIA bloc march against Election Commission was over. Then, Gandhis did this: Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra bypassed police detention on Tuesday to stage a sit-in inside the All India Radio premises in Delhi. Opposition MPs had earlier been detained and pushed into buses during a march toward the Election Commission to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over voter list revisions. While police believed the protest was ending, the Gandhi siblings walked past officers into the Akashvani Bhavan compound. Congress leaders KC Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Imran Pratapgarhi, and Srinivas BV then climbed the boundary wall to raise slogans. Congress sources said Rahul planned the move on the spot to bypass blocked routes and exit near the poll office, but police shut the back gate, trapping them inside for a protest.

Reactions

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is leading talks with top security officers while police and Rapid Action Force personnel remain stationed outside. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge stated that the protest to protect voting rights will continue. Meanwhile, the BJP criticised the march as an attempt to create anarchy and relaunch Rahul Gandhi. Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked why opposition wins in states like Kerala, Karnataka, and Himachal Pradesh were valid if the system is flawed. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused the opposition of undermining constitutional bodies, including the Supreme Court and the Election Commission.

Context

This protest follows an Indian Express investigation revealing that two Election Commissioners objected on record to multiple decisions made without their knowledge. Opposition parties frequently stage demonstrations in the national capital to press authorities on institutional accountability and electoral transparency.