CEC Gyanesh Kumar row highlights: Rahul Gandhi, other Congress leaders released from detention

Karnataka's CM DK Shivakumar reacted to the detention of Rahul and Priyanka Gandi at from Akashvani Bhavan saying that he is "ashamed.”

“The way they are trying to delete votes in my state, I am ashamed,” he said. "BJP should not go to this level. We should win the election in a general way, earning the hearts of the people of the country... The entire nation, in fact, all the voters, have been worried about this issue.

"My vote is my right... I think today we all should stand by him... I don't know whether the Prime Minister knows about it. Without the consent of the Prime Minister, I think they would not go to this level."

CEC row LIVE: Rahul Gandhi, other Congress leaders were released from police detention after being taken to a police station in Kingsway Camp.

CEC row LIVE: A senior police officer said that Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other detained Congress leaders and workers have been taken to Utsav Sadan at New Police Lines (NPL) in north Delhi’s Kingsway Camp.

“Security at and around the NPL has been increased. The detained leaders are likely to be released soon,” the officer said, asking not to be identified.

Inputs from Karn Pratap Singh.

CEC row LIVE: The Delhi Police said they got to know through social media that Opposition MPs were planning a march from the Parliament at 10:30am today, and that no application for permission was made.

“The protesters broke through the first barricade put up by the police and advanced to the second barricade near NITI Aayog. Police repeatedly made announcements informing the protesters of the restrictions in force under Section 163 BNSS and appealed to them to disperse peacefully. Despite this, the protesters did not comply with police instructions and stayed on,” the statement read.

CEC row LIVE: The ECI said they proposed sending its most senior serving official to the meeting venue requested by the MPs but they rejected the proposal.

“The ECI proposed sending its most senior serving official to the meeting venue to receive the memorandum from the Hon'ble MPs—a step that would have been unprecedented in itself. However, this proposal was also rejected by the Hon'ble MPs,” the statement read.

CEC row LIVE: The EC said that it was informed by the Delhi Police DCP that 240 MPs wanted a meeting at the Parliament House Annexe, a request they termed "unusual and unacceptable".

"The Election Commission deemed this request unusual and unacceptable, as protocol dictates that such meetings take place within the premises of the Election Commission of India," the ECI said in a statement.

CEC row LIVE: The Election Commission of India issued a statement, saying no party requested a meeting till 4pm today. “Subsequently, around 4:00 PM, information was received from the Delhi Police that a delegation of MPs, led by the Hon'ble Leader of the Opposition Shri Rahul Gandhi, wished to meet the Commission and submit a memorandum,” the statement read.

CEC row LIVE: Rahul Gandhi was seen in a Delhi Police van after being detained at Akashvani Bhavan. INDIA bloc MPs were staging a protest at Akashvani Bhavan against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

CEC row LIVE: The DMK took a jibe at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, urging him to clarify his stand on the SIR exercise in Tamil Nadu. The former Congress ally asked Rahul if he was “afraid of Vijay”.

DMK spokesperson Saravanan Annadurai, in a post on X, further questioned why Rahul had not “endorsed” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's stand asking for the “dissolution” of all state governments elected after SIR began

CEC row LIVE: DCP New Delhi Sachin Sharma is reportedly present at Akashvani Bhavan, where Congress MPs are staging a protest seeking CEC's Gyanesh Kumar's resignation.

CEC row LIVE: Drama unfolded at Delhi's Akashvani Bhavan hours after Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and others reached there, seeking to meet CEC Gyanesh Kumar. A video showed cops trying to detain the Congress leaders.

CEC row LIVE: Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad alleged that CEC Gyanesh Kumar was trying to revoke the fundamental right to vote. “The reason we are sitting on protest here continuously is that we want CEC Gyanesh Kumar to resign. He is actively working to undermine this country's Constitution and democracy. From the very constitutional office he holds, he is taking steps to revoke the fundamental right to vote—a right granted by the Constitution—which is wrong. That is why we are here…,” she said.

CEC row LIVE: AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday supported the demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

"For the next three days, I have several meetings with different people and our workers. But I want to say that at the national level, there is a demand for the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar," Kejriwal said.

CEC row LIVE: It has been several hours since Opposition MPs Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and others reached Akashvani Bhavan in a bid to enter the EC office.

Both of them, along with KC Venugopal, Pawan Khera, Deepender Hooda and others are still present.

CEC row LIVE: The Press Information Bureau's fact check unit on Tuesday dismissed reports claiming that the union home ministry reached out to Congress MPs Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi amid the INDIA bloc's stir against CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

“Do not fall for misleading claims or unverified information. Rely only on verified sources,” the PIB Fact Check said.

CEC row LIVE: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi asked why cops were stopping him and other MPs from entering the EC office. “MPs have been disrespected; we just want to go and meet CEC and tell him that you have committed 'vote chori',” he said.

CEC row LIVE: Youth Congress President Uday Bhanu Chib and other protesters were reportedly detained by the Delhi Police near the Akashvani Bhawan premises.

CEC row LIVE: Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, among others, are still at Akashvani Bhavan in Delhi. ""We don't have any problem with protesting here...We will continue our protests here...If they (Delhi Police) are uncomfortable with us protesting here, they can provide us with another place to protest...The Constitution allows us to lodge a protest…," said Rahul Gandhi.

CEC row LIVE: According to news agency PTI, some Congress protesters brought in carpets at Akashvani Bhavan, where Opposition MPs have been leading a stir against Gyanesh Kumar since this afternoon.

A video showed Priyanka Gandhi speaking to cops.

CEC row LIVE: BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari on Tuesday countered the Congress's protests in Delhi and said that the “ecosystem” funds content creators.

“They are not here to save democracy; they are working to bring their family to power, and they have a completely predetermined model for it. This entire ecosystem funds different independent content creators and spreads false videos in the market. Efforts are made in these false videos to create an atmosphere against the state machinery, the Supreme Court, and constitutional institutions...,” he said.

CEC row LIVE: Amid uproar over SIR, the NSUI Karnataka on Tuesday staged a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid allegations of irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls.

The protest was held at Freedom Park in Bengaluru and was joined by NSUI National President Vinod Jakhar, and AICC National Secretary Gopinath Palaniyappan along with others.

CEC row LIVE: Rahul Gandhi recalled a conversation he had with cops as they stopped him from entering the EC premises on Tuesday.

“I told the police, 'I was sitting over there earlier. You removed me from there. Now I have come here, and you want to remove me from here too.' I am simply asking the police—fine, if you want to remove me from here, go ahead—but just tell me: where in this country can I sit? I just want to sit somewhere. I asked the police politely: Please tell me where I can sit. Can I sit at India Gate? Can I sit at Jantar Mantar? Can I sit on the road? Where can I sit? Just name a place, and I will sit there,” he said.

CEC row LIVE: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is also set to join the INDIA bloc's stir against the CEC. The party's Parliamentary Party leader in the Rajya Sabha Manas Mangaraj said the decision was taken at the direction of party president Naveen Patnaik. "As directed by our party president Patnaik, oor MPs will participate in the protest march," Mangaraj said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

CEC row LIVE: BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of trying to spread anarchy in the country. “The bottom line is very clear: Rahul Gandhi, his party president, and others are demanding a return to ballot papers. This implies that since they cannot win elections using honest technology, they want to win through booth capturing. They want to prevent Dalits and the poor in villages from voting, perhaps by throwing ink into ballot boxes and then securing a victory. This has been their strategy for years. We condemn this,” he said.

CEC row LIVE: Rahul Gandhi has claimed that cops are also removing media personnel from outside Akashvani Bhavan in Delhi.