Rahul Gandhi, other opposition leaders, protesting 'vote chori' detained
What's the story
The Delhi Police have detained several opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sanjay Raut and Sagarika Ghose, among others, who were on their way to the Election Commission of India headquarters. The opposition MPs took out the march from Parliament House to protest alleged "vote chori" in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. The MPs wore white caps with a red cross on the words "SIR" and "vote chori."
Leaders involved
Akhilesh Yadav, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra join protest
They were on their way to ECI, when they were stopped at Transport Bhawan. As he was escorted away in a police van, Gandhi said, "The reality is that they cannot talk....This fight is not political. This fight is to save the Constitution. This fight is for One Man, One Vote. We want a clean, pure voters list." Among those who also took part in the protest was Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, who was seen jumping over barricades.
Twitter Post
They were moved to a police van
#WATCH | Delhi: Police detains INDIA bloc MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Sanjay Raut, and Sagarika Ghose, among others, who were protesting against the SIR and staged a march from Parliament to the Election Commission of India. pic.twitter.com/9pfRxTNS49
— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2025
Parliamentary impact
Bihar voter list row disrupts Parliament proceedings
The controversy has led to frequent disruptions in both Houses of Parliament since the Monsoon session began. On Monday, both Houses were adjourned till 2:00pm amid vociferous protests by opposition parties demanding a discussion on the SIR. The ECI has defended the SIR process, saying no claims or objections have been formally submitted by political parties since the Claims and Objections period began. Data shows that while many parties appointed Booth Level Agents (BLAs), none filed objections.
Legal intervention
Can't disclose names of deleted voters: EC to SC
The controversy was further fueled when the EC told the Supreme Court that it couldn't disclose the names of 65 lakh electors deleted from Bihar's draft rolls. The EC also refused to share a digital, machine-readable voter list. According to the ECI, "neither the law nor the guidelines provide for preparation or sharing of any such list" of voters whose enumeration forms were not received during verification.
ECI statement
No objections filed by political parties: EC
Amid the SIR row, last week Gandhi alleged that over one lakh votes were "stolen" through five types of manipulation in the Mahadevapura assembly segment during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He had also flagged similar concerns in Maharashtra during the election in November. The ECI, however, has repeatedly rejected these claims as "incorrect" and asked Gandhi to submit data of alleged dubious voters under oath.