Barricades, RAF deployed: Delhi Police prepares for opposition protest at Jantar Mantar
New Delhi: Opposition MPs led by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi marched towards Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday, escalating their protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Delhi Police and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed across central Delhi, with multiple roads leading towards Jantar Mantar and the Election Commission office barricaded ahead of the demonstration.
Kharge chairs opposition meeting before protest
The latest protest followed a meeting of opposition MPs hosted by Mallikarjun Kharge at a restaurant in central Delhi. The leaders discussed their next course of action and prepared a letter seeking an urgent meeting with the Election Commission over the SIR exercise.
After the meeting, opposition MPs boarded buses and travelled towards Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien were among the leaders taking part in the demonstration.
Rahul Gandhi says opposition will continue protest
Speaking to reporters, Rahul Gandhi said the opposition would protest at Jantar Mantar and raise its concerns over the electoral-roll revision.
He also questioned the legitimacy of Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner, reflecting the opposition's continuing demand for his resignation.
Gandhi said around 300 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs had sought a meeting with the Election Commission but were not allowed to meet the commissioners. Opposition leaders have maintained that their concerns over the SIR process should be addressed by the poll body.
Security tightened across central Delhi
Delhi Police put up multiple layers of barricades on roads leading towards Jantar Mantar and the Election Commission's office. Security arrangements affected routes including Ashoka Road, Sansad Marg and Meridian Road.
Police personnel and Rapid Action Force units were deployed in the area, while authorities adopted a wait-and-watch approach as opposition leaders proceeded towards the protest site.
Pedestrian movement towards the Election Commission office was also restricted in parts of central Delhi.
Protest comes a day after opposition MPs were detained
The demonstration is the second consecutive day of opposition protests over the issue.
On Tuesday, opposition MPs attempted to march from the Parliament area towards the Election Commission office but were stopped by police. The leaders subsequently held a sit-in at Akashvani Bhavan, and some opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, were temporarily detained.
The opposition has said it will continue its agitation despite the detentions and police restrictions.
The immediate dispute centres on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and opposition allegations of irregularities in the voter-list revision process.
Opposition parties have sought an urgent meeting with the Election Commission and have also demanded Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The allegations concerning voter deletions and electoral-roll irregularities remain contested, with the Election Commission's response central to the dispute.
The continuing protests mark an escalation in the political confrontation, with opposition parties now combining parliamentary pressure, formal requests for talks with the poll body and demonstrations at designated protest sites.