Newdelhi: Opposition MPs, leaders, and hundreds of supporters began a March for Democracy toward the Supreme Court to submit a petition over vote theft charges and protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstration followed a declined request from the Leaders of the Opposition in both houses of parliament for a meeting with the Chief Justice of India.
Leaders from various INDIA bloc parties participated in the march while condemning government restrictions aimed at curbing public demonstrations. The procession was ultimately stopped by police using barricades at Bhagwan Dass Road.
Prominent figures leading the march included Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallingarjun Kharge, D Raja of the CPI, M A Baby of the CPI(M), Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, Supriya Sule of the NCP-SCP, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena-UBT, Dipankar Bhattacharya of the CPI-ML, and E T Mohammed Basheer of the IUML.
Congress MPs Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shashi Tharoor, Sachin Pilot, and Mukul Wasnik also joined, alongside TMC leader Sagarika Ghosh, activists Yogendra Yadav and Nandita Narayan, and AISA chief Neha Bora. Participants initially gathered at the Constitution Club before moving to the Barakhamba Road junction in four air-conditioned buses to commence the march.
Prior to the procession, Rahul Gandhi held a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Indira Bhawan to announce the petition against the poll panel chief. He called on CEC Gyanesh Kumar to resign and turn approver, asserting that the opposition's ongoing fight would persist through sustained protests regardless of how long it takes.
The march took place shortly after the Delhi Police denotified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, introducing three alternative locations under a new standing order issued by Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar. Opposition figures criticized the handling of public demonstrations, arguing that the recent measures reflect an erosion of democratic freedoms.