Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Other Opposition Leaders Detained During Protest March To EC Over Vote Theft

Lucknow/New Delhi: Chaos unfolded on Monday as MPs from the INDIA bloc marched from the Parliament to the Election Commission in protest against the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar. They raised allegations of  “voter fraud” during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
As the opposition leaders marched towards the EC office, Delhi Police stopped the MPs. Cops also set up barricades. Several opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Sanjay Raut, were detained enroute to the EC office.

“The reality is that they cannot talk. The truth is in front of the country. This fight is not political. This fight is to save the Constitution. This fight is for One Man, One Vote. We want a clean, pure voters list,” Rahul Gandhi told reporters after cops detained him.

EC officials said Congress MPs had agreed to meet with 30 MPs. But, as claimed by the EC, the Congress MPs found ways to run away from the poll body. The EC claimed to have written to Congress leader Jairam Ramesh scheduling a meeting with 30 opposition leaders over the issue.
Meanwhile, the Congress has said the party leaders would have met the EC, had their march been allowed. The BJP has hit out at the Congress, saying the opposition party and its allies want to create anarchy in country.

Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘vote loot’ charge against UP CM

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday accused Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath of facilitating “vote loot” in the state, linking his allegations to the ongoing controversy in Bihar over alleged bogus entries in voter lists.

The remarks came in the backdrop of a row involving Bihar deputy chief minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, who has been accused by the opposition of possessing two different voter identity cards from separate constituencies. While Sinha has denied wrongdoing, the issue has triggered a political storm, with the Election Commission’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar already under fire from opposition parties.

Speaking to reporters, Akhilesh claimed that the alleged irregularities in Bihar reflect a larger pattern of electoral malpractice. “What is happening there has been happening in Uttar Pradesh as well, under the CM’s protection. Bogus voting has been facilitated here,” he alleged.

The Election Commission has defended the Bihar revision drive, calling it a constitutional responsibility aimed at cleaning up voter rolls. Opposition parties, including the RJD in Bihar and the SP in Uttar Pradesh, have alleged that the exercise could be used to selectively delete names of voters.
Akhilesh’s comments add to the INDIA bloc’s escalating attack on the BJP over alleged attempts to manipulate electoral rolls ahead of crucial polls in both states. The BJP has dismissed the charges as politically motivated.