Lucknow: Several Congress leaders, including Rajendra Pal Gautam, the party’s UP in-charge, state unit president Ajay Rai, and Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’, were detained on Friday. The detentions occurred as they attempted to march towards the office of the UP chief electoral officer. This protest highlights ongoing tensions regarding electoral processes in the state.
This is a betrayal of the Constitution, which mandates free and fair elections,” Gautam said. Rai said the party’s stance on the poll body’s alleged bias stood vindicated. The CEC must step down immediately; our struggle will continue until he is removed,” Rai said.
Braving heavy rain, Congress workers marched from the state party headquarters at Mall Avenue, raising slogans against CEC Gyanesh Kumar and the BJP. Heavy police barricades set up near the Sunni Waqf Board halted the rally, resulting in brief scuffles between party cadres and police personnel. “Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has consistently warned that govt is seeking to capture institutions and undermine democracy. Under govt pressure, the commission has worked in an authoritarian manner to benefit the BJP through arbitrary additions and deletions in voter lists.