Rahul Gandhi detained as opposition challenges voter list revision
Gandhi and other protesters were detained while marching towards a designated protest site to demand the election chief’s resignation.
Rahul Gandhi and other opposition lawmakers and protesters were detained in New Delhi on Wednesday as they marched towards Jantar Mantar. The Congress leader was detained for the third time in two days, according to Al Jazeera Global News.
The demonstrators were calling for Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to resign over revisions to India’s voter lists. A Congress Party livestream showed police placing Gandhi in a vehicle. Police had not immediately commented on the detentions.
Opposition parties allege the changes disproportionately remove voters who support them and benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. The Election Commission and government deny political motives, saying the revision is intended to remove duplicate and ineligible entries while keeping eligible voters registered.
The commission has removed more than 130 million names from voter lists, and millions have appealed. The report does not specify the outcomes of those appeals. About 969 million people were eligible to vote in the 2024 election.
Police also briefly detained Gandhi and other lawmakers after breaking up an opposition gathering on Tuesday. Before Wednesday’s detention, Gandhi said protesters would go to the designated site after police stopped their gathering the previous day.
