The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rejected the demands made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc MPs following a daylong protest in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Rahul Gandhi, along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Akhilesh Yadav, Abhishek Banerjee and Supriya Sule, joined the march towards the Election Commission. AAP and DMK representatives were not present. Police stopped the protesting MPs, following which they staged a sit-in outside Akashvani Bhavan, opposite the Commission’s office.
The protest was eventually removed by Delhi Police. Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other leaders were detained and released around two hours later.
The opposition leaders wanted to meet the full Election Commission and personally submit a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. However, the Commission said their demands could not be accepted.
In a statement, the ECI said no opposition representative had sought an appointment with the Commission until 4 pm. Later, Delhi Police informed the Commission that Rahul Gandhi wanted to meet the full bench with around 240 MPs at the Parliament Annexe.
The Commission described the request as “unusual” and said its rules require political delegations to meet commissioners at Nirvachan Sadan. It also said political parties had been informed in 2025 that prior appointments were necessary.
The ECI maintained that Tuesday’s demands did not follow the established procedure.
