New Delhi, Oct 8: The high-stakes standoff between the opposition and the ruling administration intensified on Thursday as top leaders of the INDIA bloc headed to Rajghat to hold a silent sit-in protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The move comes on the third consecutive day of demonstrations over alleged electoral roll irregularities and “vote theft.”
Following a strategy lunch hosted by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Connaught Place, key opposition figures—including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and alliance representatives from RJD, Samajwadi Party, and TMC—boarded buses toward Gandhi Smarak. Kharge stated that parliamentarians would sit in silent prayer for the “wisdom” of the central government, while Rahul Gandhi alleged that opposition voices were being forcibly suppressed across the capital.
The ongoing agitation has triggered heavy security deployments across central Delhi, following intense confrontations on Wednesday where several leaders, including Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, were temporarily detained. With Delhi Police filing a fresh FIR alleging obstruction and assault on law enforcement, nationwide solidarity marches have spilled into Patna, Jammu, Nagpur, and Hyderabad. Meanwhile, Rashtrapati Bhavan has scheduled a meeting with a 10-member opposition delegation on Friday to hear their grievances.
