Tejashwi Yadav Detained in Patna During March Against CEC

Mahagathbandhan leaders and workers staged a protest march in Patna on Thursday against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The day ended with three of the alliance's senior leaders in police custody and a scuffle at the barricades.

What happened in Patna

Tejashwi Yadav climbed onto a barricade and tried to push ahead, leading to a scuffle with police personnel. He was then detained, along with RJD Lok Sabha MP Misa Bharti and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani.

Police had put up barricades at several points along the route to stop the protesters from advancing towards Lok Bhawan. A multi-layered security cordon was placed around sensitive areas and approach roads to prevent any breach of the security perimeter and to manage traffic. That brought parts of the city to a crawl.

Where the detained leaders were taken

The three leaders were not taken to a police station. They were taken to Lok Bhawan as part of the arrangements for submitting the memorandum to the Governor, and reports say further developments were expected after the delegation met him. We will update this once there is word on what was submitted and how the Governor responded.

What the protesters are demanding

The march was part of the Opposition alliance's campaign against the SIR exercise and its demand for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The Opposition alleges irregularities in the SIR of electoral rolls.

Speaking at the protest, Tejashwi said the Opposition's primary demand was for free and fair elections. He also criticised the deployment of armed police personnel and alleged that the Opposition was being subjected to excessive security measures, and he repeated the claim that the SIR exercise had adversely affected a large number of voters. He said the campaign would continue and that the Opposition would not back down until it secured Kumar's resignation.

Injury claim by Mukesh Sahani

Mukesh Sahani alleged that he suffered a finger injury during the confrontation. We have not seen a response from the police on this claim, and we will add one if it comes.

BJP and JD(U) hit back

The ruling side was quick to respond. The BJP and JD(U) launched a sharp attack on the Mahagathbandhan over the march, calling it an "expression of political frustration". It is a familiar pattern: the Opposition calls it a fight for fair elections, and the ruling parties call it politics.

Part of a bigger Opposition campaign

The Patna march did not happen in isolation. It came amid a wider Opposition campaign against the electoral roll revision and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, after Delhi Police detained several Opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, during their protest against him. The Election Commission of India has called a request for a meeting with Kumar "unusual and unacceptable", according to The Statesman.