Rahul Gandhi, Opposition Leaders Detained During Protest Over Bihar Voter List Revision

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was briefly detained in the national capital today while participating in a protest march against the Election Commission of India (ECI). The demonstration, organised by the opposition INDIA bloc, was aimed at challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Bihar, which they allege could disenfranchise large sections of voters.

Rahul Gandhi, along with several senior leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut, and TMC’s Sagarika Ghose, marched from Parliament towards the ECI headquarters. While police had granted permission for around 30 MPs to submit a memorandum, officials said over 200 leaders and supporters joined the rally. Citing crowd control and law and order concerns, security forces stopped the march midway and detained several participants.

During his detention, Rahul Gandhi reiterated that the protest was not about partisan politics, but about safeguarding democratic rights. “This is about one person, one vote — a core principle of our Constitution,” he said.

The march saw dramatic moments, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav jumping over barricades to join the protest. Delhi Police later confirmed that the detentions were temporary, and leaders were released after the situation was brought under control.

The INDIA bloc has accused the ECI of implementing the SIR in Bihar in a way that could remove legitimate voters from the rolls, particularly in opposition strongholds. The Commission has denied the allegations, stating that the revision is a routine and legally mandated process to update and clean the voter database.

Today’s events have further heightened political tensions ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections, with opposition parties vowing to intensify their agitation if the voter list process is not reviewed.