Opposition MPs Detained in Delhi Protest Over Voter Roll Revision

Delhi police seized several opposition lawmakers, including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, as they marched toward the Election Commission headquarters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a disputed voter roll revision program.

Seventy‑odd MPs were briefly put into a police bus and taken to different stations. Once released, they returned to the march and started a sit‑in near the commission’s office. The protest followed an episode of the Cockroach Janta Party, a Gen‑Z backed satirical movement that called for the Election Commission’s resignation in Mumbai and Delhi.

At the center of the controversy is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a nationwide effort to delete duplicate and ineligible names from voter rolls. The Election Commission claims that over 130 million names have been removed so far, while opposition parties suggest that many legitimate voters were wrongly excluded.

The campaign gained traction after the Indian Express reported that election commissioners had formally objected to decisions made in the name of the Election Commission without their knowledge. These claims raised questions about the independence and fairness of the voter roll revision.

The Supreme Court has asked the federal government and the Election Commission to explain whether key decisions were taken without unanimous consent, arguing that any unilateral action could be invalid. The court declined to suspend the chief commissioner, stating it would first hear the commission’s response.

The ruling BJP dismissed the protest as an attempt to undermine constitutional institutions and called the opposition’s actions a “sponsored attempt” supported by an “anarchy” narrative.

The situation remains fluid as both the election commission and the Delhi authorities respond to growing pressure from opposition parties and the public for more transparency.