Delhi police detained on Monday Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and other opposition members during a protest march to the Election Commission’s office in the Indian capital.
Gandhi, who is also the opposition leader in the Indian parliament, was arrested along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Shiv Sena leaders Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Rahul Gandhi, lawmaker and leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, is stopped by police along with other lawmakers during a protest against what they say are electoral malpractices, in New Delhi, India, August 11, 2025. REUTERS
The credibility of elections has rarely been questioned in recent decades in the world’s most populous democracy. Some analysts say the opposition’s accusations could damage Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he navigates one of the toughest periods of his 11 years in office.
The march, led by the Congress-backed INDIA bloc, was called to protest alleged collusion between the poll body and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian media reported.
“We stopped them to prevent any breakdown of law and order,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Devesh Kumar Mahla claimed while speaking to local media. He added that some lawmakers attempted to jump barricades.
Delhi’s Joint Commissioner of Police Deepak Purohit confirmed the detentions but declined to provide numbers. Police officials said permission had been granted for 30 MPs to march, but over 200 turned up.
आज जब हम चुनाव आयोग से मिलने जा रहे थे, INDIA गठबंधन के सभी सांसदों को रोका गया और हिरासत में ले लिया गया।
वोट चोरी की सच्चाई अब देश के सामने है।
यह लड़ाई राजनीतिक नहीं – यह लोकतंत्र, संविधान और ‘एक व्यक्ति, एक वोट’ के अधिकार की रक्षा की लड़ाई है।
एकजुट विपक्ष और देश का हर… pic.twitter.com/SutmUirCP8
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 11, 2025
Visuals showed opposition leaders and supporters waving placards, shouting slogans, and pushing against barricades outside Parliament. Samajwadi Party’s Yadav was seen climbing over barricades, while the Trinamool Congress said two MPs, including Mahua Moitra, fainted during the protest.
The protest led to road blockades near Parliament and the adjournment of both Houses.
“This fight is not political…it is to save the Constitution. The fight is for ‘one person, one vote'”, said the leader of the opposition before being taken away by police.
Rahul Gandhi, a lawmaker and a leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, drinks water as he is stopped by police along with other lawmakers during a protest against what they say are electoral malpractices, in New Delhi, India, August 11, 2025. REUTERS
‘State of bankruptcy’
The opposition has accused the poll panel of manipulating voter lists in Maharashtra and Karnataka to favour the BJP, citing alleged discrepancies such as a surge in new voters months after elections. The allegations were first raised after last year’s Maharashtra state polls.
The commission has said that changes in voters’ lists are shared with political parties and all complaints are investigated thoroughly. It has also said that voters’ lists need to be revised to remove dead voters or those who have relocated to other parts of the country, among others.
Congress and its allies have fared poorly in two state elections that they had expected to win after an impressive show in last year’s parliamentary vote, which saw the BJP losing its outright majority and remaining in power only with the help of regional parties.
The opposition has also complained about electronic voting machines and said the counting process is not fair, charges rejected by the election panel.
The BJP said opposition parties were trying to create a “state of anarchy” by sowing seeds of doubt about the electoral process.
“They are in a state of bankruptcy because of their continuous losses,” federal minister Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters on Monday.
Last month, Gandhi slammed the Indian government for its handling of Operation Sindoor, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of launching the military campaign against Pakistan solely to protect his image.
He described the operation as ending in an “immediate surrender” after just 30 minutes of action.
“The DGMO of India was instructed by the government to ask for a ceasefire at 1:35 am on the night of Operation Sindoor,” Gandhi said in his speech in parliament earlier. He accused the Indian government of a lack of political will, arguing that the ceasefire request amounted to an “immediate surrender in 30 minutes”.
He further asserted that the goal of the operation was to protect Modi’s image. “The prime minister has the blood of the people of Pahalgam on his hands. The goal of the exercise was to make sure he used the air force to protect his image,” Gandhi declared.
The Congress leader also criticised Modi for denying Trump’s repeated claims that he had successfully mediated a ceasefire. “If he is lying, the prime minister should say in his speech that Donald Trump is lying. If he has the courage, like Indira Gandhi, he should say, ‘Donald Trump, you are a liar,'” he demanded.
Gandhi pointed out that no country condemned Pakistan after the events in Pahalgam, despite widespread condemnation of terrorism. “All countries have condemned terrorism. Absolutely, 100% correct. But after Pahalgam, no country condemned Pakistan. Not a single country condemned Pakistan,” he said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
