INDIA Bloc Takes CEC Protest to Rajghat as Delhi Police Name Rahul and Priyanka in Fresh FIRs

Delhi Police have registered three FIRs over Wednesday's opposition protest near Jantar Mantar, and Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are named in them. Undeterred, INDIA bloc MPs took their campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar to Rajghat on Thursday afternoon, the third straight day of street protests in the capital since the bloc's march on the Election Commission (see our earlier coverage).

The FIRs

According to Delhi Police, the cases relate to alleged assault on police personnel, obstruction of government work, pushing and manhandling, and misbehaviour with officers during Wednesday's attempt to reach Jantar Mantar. Police said more cases were being registered. They put the number of people detained on Wednesday at 91, including several MPs who were released later that evening. The allegations are still under investigation.

Congress leaders responded with defiance. MP Kodikunnil Suresh said the bloc was not going back and that its ultimatum stood: the CEC must resign or the government must remove him. MP Manickam Tagore accused the Centre of shielding Kumar, while Pramod Tiwari condemned what he called the brutal treatment of Priyanka Gandhi and other leaders.

A wider line-up at Rajghat

The day began with a second consecutive lunch meeting hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, this time at a restaurant in Connaught Place. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy attended. The Samajwadi Party, which had stayed away from Wednesday's protest, sent two representatives, though Akhilesh Yadav himself was absent.

The MPs then left for the Gandhi memorial in three buses, trailed by thousands of party workers. Delhi Police had already imposed restrictions on gatherings at Rajghat and, along with central forces, cordoned off the area.

Kharge described the plan as a peaceful sit-in at which MPs would pray that the government be granted the wisdom to stop what he called the stripping away of citizens' rights, including the right to vote. Rahul Gandhi said around 300 MPs wanted to protest peacefully but had been blocked for two days, and repeated his charge that the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, the RSS chief and the CEC had conspired to steal votes.

The campaign spreads beyond Delhi

Congress declared Thursday a black day for democracy and asked its state, district and block units to hold protests. Demonstrations were planned in Karnataka, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, and in Bihar the Mahagathbandhan announced a march to the Raj Bhavan. K C Venugopal said the bloc had sought a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu but had not yet received a reply. Separately, the Delhi High Court is set to hear on Friday a Youth Congress plea against police refusal to permit a protest over the CEC.

The government's side

The BJP has rejected the agitation. Party president Nitin Nabin accused Rahul Gandhi of working with anti-social elements to create anarchy, and BJP spokespersons have called the opposition's allegations about democracy baseless. The Election Commission has denied wrongdoing in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which lies at the heart of the dispute.

What to watch

The immediate questions are whether the police allow the Rajghat sit-in to proceed, whether the President grants the opposition an audience, and how the courts handle both the FIRs and the protest-permission pleas. With AAP also planning a nationwide protest on October 10, the standoff shows no sign of easing.

This is an original summary based on public reporting. See our editorial policy for how we source, write, and correct our stories.