High-Voltage Protest: Rahul, Priyanka, Akhilesh, and Other INDIA Bloc Leaders Detained in Delhi Over Bihar Voter List Row
New Delhi witnessed a dramatic showdown on Monday as Delhi Police detained several top leaders of the INDIA bloc — including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sanjay Raut, and Sagarika Ghose — during a massive protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, which the Opposition has dubbed “vote theft.”
The political flashpoint began when a united Opposition march, led by senior leaders such as Mallikarjun Kharge, Sharad Pawar, and Rahul Gandhi, moved from Parliament House towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters.
But before the rally could gain full steam, police barricades went up near Transport Bhawan, cutting them off mid-route.
“This fight is beyond politics — it’s to save the Constitution, to ensure ‘One Man, One Vote.’ We demand a clean, corruption-free voters’ list,” declared Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Priyanka Gandhi, detained alongside other MPs, lashed out at the Centre: “The Modi government is scared. They are cowards.”
The protest turned tense as Trinamool Congress MPs Mahua Moitra and Mitali Bag reportedly fell ill inside an overcrowded police bus following their detention.
Before setting off from Parliament’s Makar Dwar, MPs sang the national anthem. Many donned white caps marked with a bold red cross over the words “SIR” and “Vote Chori,” while holding placards proclaiming “SIR + Vote Theft = Murder of Democracy” and “SIR – Loktantra Par Vaar.” Others challenged the silence around the issue with the slogan: “SIR par chuppi kyu?”
In defiance, several leaders climbed or jumped over police barricades, including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and women MPs like Ranjeeta Ranjan, Jothimanu, Sagarika Ghose, Mahua Moitra, and Sushmita Dev.
Even the Aam Aadmi Party — no longer part of the INDIA bloc — joined the demonstrations, branding the exercise as “vote fraud.”
From the ground, the protest took on an air of both resistance and spectacle — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra squatting on the road alongside TMC’s Sayani Ghosh, raising the chant “Jabab chai, Jabab dao,” while Rahul Gandhi stood observing. Akhilesh Yadav sat cross-legged on the asphalt, stating, “They are using the police to stop us.”
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had formally informed the ECI of the march, requesting a meeting to discuss not only the Bihar voter list revision but similar processes planned in other states. His letter stressed that such dialogue was part of “the highest tradition of our parliamentary democracy.”
The backdrop to this fiery protest was Rahul Gandhi’s Thursday exposé alleging massive irregularities in the electoral system — charges the Election Commission has so far deflected without clear answers.
The EC’s refusal to explain why thousands of names were struck off the draft electoral rolls in Bihar has only fueled Opposition ire.
“Rahul Gandhi has asked serious questions — they deserve serious answers,” said Shashi Tharoor, warning that democracy cannot be compromised by doubts over duplicate, fake, or manipulated voter entries. “If there are questions in people’s minds, they must be addressed.”
The day’s events made one thing clear — the battle over Bihar’s voter list is shaping up to be a national litmus test for the credibility of India’s democratic process.
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