Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi detained as INDIA bloc’s march to Election Commission halted in New Delhi

The Congress-led alliance has accused the poll body of colluding with the BJP during the election

Photo: Grabbed from NDTV footage

New Delhi police have detained senior opposition MPs, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut.

On Monday, the Congress-led INDIA bloc’s protest march to the Election Commission’s office at the heart of New Delhi turned into a street confrontation, NDTV reported.

The alliance accused the poll panel of colluding with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during the election.

The protest began outside parliament, barely a kilometre from the commission’s office, with leaders waving placards, shouting slogans, and attempting to push through police barricades.

“This fight is not political… it is to save the Constitution. The fight is for ‘one person, one vote’,” Rahul Gandhi told reporters before being taken away in a police bus, according to NDTV.

“The reality is they cannot talk… the truth is in front of the country,” he added.

According to NDTV, Joint Commissioner of Police Deepak Purohit confirmed the detentions but declined to specify numbers. He said only 30 MPs had police permission to march to the commission to submit a complaint, but more than 200 had turned up.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Devesh Kumar Mahla said the leaders were stopped to prevent a law-and-order breakdown. “Some MPs tried jumping barricades… they were also detained,” he told NDTV.

Footage aired by NDTV showed Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav scaling two police barricades, while the Trinamool Congress claimed two MPs, including Mahua Moitra, fainted during the standoff.

The INDIA bloc began the day with plans for a symbolic march, but the confrontation ended with dozens of leaders taken to a nearby police station.