Opposition INDIA bloc leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, were detained in Delhi on Tuesday after police stopped their march to the Election Commission headquarters.
The leaders were demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The march began from Parliament and was halted by security personnel on Parliament Street near the NITI Aayog office.
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The MPs then staged a dharna on the road. Police later detained several leaders and took them away in buses.
Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress leaders Derek O'Brien and Abhishek Banerjee were among those detained, along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
VIDEO | Delhi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Trinamool Congress leaders Derek O'Brien, Abhishek Banerjee and other opposition leaders detained and being taken in bus after police stop INDIA bloc's protest march on Parliament Street, where they sat on a dharna demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. #AkhileshYadav #CEC #oppositionprotest (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 6, 2026
The protest turned dramatic when Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, along with some supporters, entered the Akashvani Bhawan premises in a bid to reach the poll body's office.
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VIDEO | Delhi: LoP Lok Sabha leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi try to enter Akashvani Bhawan, being prevented by police during Opposition's march to Election Commission headquarters. #OppisitionProtestMarch #CEC #RahulGandhi #PriyankaGandhi (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/bIyFWTfmBd)
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 6, 2026
The two had earlier been prevented by police from entering the building.
Visuals show them sitting inside the premises as they were detained. Barricades near Akashvani Bhawan had stopped the march roughly 150 to 200 metres from the Election Commission headquarters.
VIDEO | Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi sitting inside Akashvani Bhawan as they are detained during the INDIA bloc MPs march from Parliament to the ECI, demanding CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) https://t.co/ZRwMMt47ca
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 6, 2026
Rahul Gandhi reportedly climbed a police barricade and waved the Tricolour during the standoff.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule were among others who joined the march.
Rahul Gandhi posted on X: "Gyanesh, it's done, bro. Time to resign."
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Gyanesh, it's done, bro. Time to resign. #IndiaAllianceMarch https://t.co/9ZB6aJfakl
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 6, 2026
The opposition has set out three demands: Kumar's resignation, scrapping of the SIR exercise and restoration of voter names allegedly removed during the revision.
The leaders renewed their call for Kumar's resignation citing the Supreme Court's observations on changes to Form 6, the statutory application used for enrolment as a voter.
The opposition alleges irregularities, voter manipulation and a lack of transparency in the SIR process.
The SIR is the Election Commission's exercise to revise electoral rolls, and it has become a flashpoint between the opposition and the poll body. Tuesday's march was the latest escalation in that dispute, which has moved from Parliament to the streets.
There was no immediate word from the Election Commission on the protest, and Delhi Police had not said how many leaders were detained.
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