Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders detained during protest against election chief

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai and hundreds of party workers were detained in Lucknow on Friday during a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, according to The Hindu. The demonstrators were attempting to march towards the Uttar Pradesh Assembly when police stopped them. Rai and other Congress leaders climbed barricades and raised slogans, leading to a scuffle with officers.

The protesters were taken to the Eco Garden, a designated protest site in the state capital, and were later released in the evening. The demonstration formed part of a nationwide protest by the Indian National Congress against the Election Commission. Rai alleged that the Chief Election Commissioner had played a role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s victory in Varanasi.

He demanded that the election be cancelled, while accusing the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of protecting Kumar by deploying a heavy police presence. “Fair elections are the foundation of democracy,” Rai said, according to The Hindu, adding that Congress would continue its campaign “from the streets to Parliament”. He also described the detention of party workers as evidence of what he called the “dictatorial mindset” of the state administration.

The Uttar Pradesh Congress president said the party would organise protests at district level on Monday. His remarks framed the Lucknow action as part of a broader challenge to what Congress described as violations of constitutional norms and threats to the autonomy of constitutional institutions. The report did not include a response from the Chief Election Commissioner, the Election Commission or the BJP to the allegations made during the protest.

It also did not report any injuries or arrests beyond the detentions and subsequent release of the protesters.