What Happened Near Poll Body Office? Inside Story Of Opposition March

The INDIA bloc's march to the Election Commission headquarters that ended with the detention of Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had started early. But by evening, only a handful of MPs remained -- besides the Leader of the Opposition and his sister, there were Congress General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal, Punjab Lok Sabha MP Charanjit Singh Channi, and Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera. The sit-down protest was in progress within the Akashvani Bhavan complex, from where the Gandhis were detained. The protest is still in progress. 

In the morning, the MPs from the INDIA bloc had started gathering at the Makar Dwar of the Parliament complex. The Congress MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were followed by MPs from other parties. 

It was, however, the Samajwadi Party MPs, who set the tone. Clad in red caps and red scarves, they stood out, holding red placards inscribed with various slogans. The placard held by SP MP Iqra Hasan from Kairana read, "One kachori, two samosas; Gyanesh, there is no trusting you".

When NDTV pointed out that this was a 'Gen Z' slogan, Iqra Hasan remarked that it had also become a symbol of their protest. 

Actor-turned politician Jaya Bachchan was seen sporting a red scarf and held a placard that read, "The Election Commission is discriminating; it is deleting PDA votes". 

Asked about the sartorial statement, she told NDTV: "Gradually, the red scarf, along with the red cap, is becoming a part of our attire."

About the slogan on the placard, she said, "The banner is correct; they are doing this so that PDA votes get deleted. Everything is being done with an eye on the upcoming elections."

The procession of around 200 MPs - heading for the Election Commission headquarters -- were stopped  shortly after they moved past the Transport Bhawan.

They had reached the PTI and RBI buildings, where heavy police and security forces were deployed. 

Stopped by the troops, Akhilesh Yadav - who flew in from Lucknow to attend the protest -- sat down on the ground. Others gathered around him. 

Rahul Gandhi climbed onto the barricade and waved the national flag. Akhilesh Yadav, who usually joins such activities, declined this time,  citing ill health. It was later revealed that he was running a fever. By this time, the police had arranged buses to detain the leaders and transport them to the nearby Sansad Marg police station. 

Many MPs - including Akhilesh Yadav and other SP MPs, Abhishek Banerjee, Manoj Jha, and Derek O'Brien - had already boarded the buses. Even Priyanka Gandhi had taken a seat in one. 

But instead of boarding a bus, Rahul walked towards the Akashvani Bhawan, where he was stopped from entering. Seconds later, 

Congress leader KC Venugopal came running from behind. Learning of this, Priyanka Gandhi also stepped off the bus and rushed over. After a brief argument at the Akashvani Bhawan gate on why MPs were being barred from entering a government building, they were finally allowed inside. This incident occurred around 2 pm , and the sit-in protest by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra started.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has instructed all the party MPs to remain in Delhi, indicating that the protest will continue.

The big departure from the tradition this time was that Naveen Patnaik's Biju Janata Dal took to the streets to support the INDIA alliance for the first time. Two BJD MPs - Manas Mangaraj and Sulata Deo - participated, along with former MP Mujibullah Khan.

Future Strategy

The INDIA alliance has booked Ramlila Maidan for a mega rally on November 1, and a request has been made for a meeting with the President, tentatively scheduled for October 7, 8 or 9.

The list of leaders proposed to meet the President includes the Leaders of the Opposition from both Houses (Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi), Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Omar Abdullah, Tejashwi Yadav, MA Baby, and D Raja (CPI).