Indian police detained opposition lawmakers on Tuesday as they marched towards the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over a controversial voter roll revision.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several other MPs were taken onto police buses before being released. The lawmakers later resumed their protest and staged a sit-in near the Election Commission office.

According to the BBC, police had deployed officers at several points along the route from parliament to the Election Commission, detaining protesters who tried to bypass the barricades. The opposition said about 237 MPs from different parties joined the march.

The protest centred on the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which began in Bihar in June 2025 and has since been expanded nationwide. The commission says the exercise is aimed at removing duplicate and ineligible voters, while opposition parties allege that genuine voters have also been excluded.

The row intensified after an Indian Express report said two election commissioners had repeatedly raised objections to decisions issued in the commission's name without their knowledge. The Election Commission has denied any institutional breakdown, saying differences were part of its normal functioning and that decisions were ultimately unanimous.

Congress leaders have demanded Kumar's resignation, cancellation of the voter roll revision and a return to paper ballots. The BJP has rejected the allegations and accused the opposition of trying to undermine constitutional institutions.

The dispute is also before India's Supreme Court, which is examining allegations that Kumar took key decisions without the approval of the other election commissioners. The court has not suspended him and is awaiting responses from the government and the Election Commission.

BOB Post