Opposition Leaders Detained In Delhi During Second Day Of Protests Demanding CEC's Removal

Protest And Detentions

Opposition lawmakers staged street protests in central Delhi for the second consecutive day Wednesday, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Around 200 MPs from the INDIA bloc boarded three buses after a lunch hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at the Sagar Ratna restaurant on Janpath. Police blocked the march near Windsor Place and Ashoka Road, bringing traffic to a halt for more than three hours. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lay on the road clutching a copy of the Constitution during an impromptu sit-in. Police eventually detained Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and other senior leaders around 6 pm, taking the total number of detained leaders and workers to 91 according to police.

Alliance Friction

The Samajwadi Party stayed away from the Wednesday protest and lunch meeting. Congress leaders played down the absence, stating MPs had left Delhi early, but sources indicated the SP was unhappy with poor coordination and felt the protest had been turned into a Rahul Gandhi show. The upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections add tension to seat-sharing talks between the two allies. However, INDIA bloc leaders reached out later, and the SP agreed to send representatives for Thursday's planned protests across state, district, and block levels.

Context

Street protests by opposition parties are a traditional method of political pressure in India when parliamentary channels stall or raise disputes over electoral and institutional matters. Chief Election Commissioners head the constitutional body responsible for conducting free and fair elections across the country. Tensions between opposition groups and ruling parties often peak during major electoral roll revisions and ahead of crucial state assembly elections.