AAP leaders detained at Jantar Mantar, demand CEC Gyanesh Kumar's resignation
Synopsis
AAP took its anti-CEC campaign to the streets on 2 October, with leaders including Atishi detained at Jantar Mantar and others marching through Delhi — all demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation over alleged 'vote theft' through the SIR process. The party's framing has sharpened: this is no longer just an administrative dispute but, in AAP's telling, a constitutional crisis that warrants treason charges.
Key Takeaways
AAP leaders and workers were detained at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi on 2 October and taken to Fatehpur Beri Police Station .
Former Delhi CM Atishi and AAP spokesperson Anurag Dhanda were among those detained; both accused the BJP -led Centre of undermining voting rights.
The party is demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged 'vote theft' through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Jarnail Singh led a separate protest march in the capital on the same day.
MLA Sanjeev Jha called for a treason case against Gyanesh Kumar, while Jarnail Singh claimed remarks by fellow Election Commissioners had validated the allegations.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers detained during a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Friday, 2 October were taken to Fatehpur Beri Police Station in south Delhi, where they declared they were 'not afraid of the police' and reiterated their demand for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The detentions came as opposition allegations of 'vote theft' against the CEC gained fresh momentum following media reports of differences within the Election Commission.
Atishi Leads Defiance from Police Station
Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, one of those detained, directly accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre of attempting to strip citizens of their right to vote through the CEC. 'Indians got the right to vote when millions of freedom fighters sacrificed their lives to win independence for the country. Babasaheb Ambedkar gave us the right to vote,' she said, invoking the constitutional legacy of voting rights.
'No FIR is being registered against Gyanesh Kumar over vote theft, but those protesting to demand his resignation are being brutally picked up and taken to police stations. But we are not afraid of the police. The fight for democracy will continue,' Atishi asserted.
AAP Spokesperson Calls It 'Complete Dictatorship'
AAP spokesperson Anurag Dhanda, also among the detainees, echoed the charge. 'We are simply demanding that democracy should not be destroyed. We were saying that people should have the right to vote. Gyanesh Kumar took away the right to vote and committed vote theft, yet the vote thief is not being put in jail. Instead, they brought us here and made us sit at the police station. This is a complete dictatorship of the Modi government,' he said.
Protest March Led by Saurabh Bharadwaj and Jarnail Singh
Several other AAP leaders, including Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Jarnail Singh, participated in a separate protest march in the capital. Bharadwaj pointed to what he described as nationwide agitations cutting across age groups and organisations. 'Various political parties, social organisations, youth groups, student unions, and students from colleges and universities are protesting across the country to save the country — to protect the country's democracy. So, Gyanesh Kumar will have to be removed, reforms must be made in the Election Commission, and the irregularities in the SIR must be rolled back. This is the only solution, and the government will have to accept it,' he said.
Jarnail Singh went further, claiming that remarks by two fellow Election Commissioners had validated opposition allegations. 'The two fellow Election Commissioners have exposed the CEC. As long as we were saying it, it could have been termed as allegations, but now their crime has been proven. Gyanesh Kumar should face a case of treason, be arrested, and be dismissed immediately for deleting votes to help the BJP,' he said, adding: 'The country won't accept this kind of hooliganism.'
More AAP Voices Join the Chorus
AAP MLA Sanjeev Jha accused both the BJP and the CEC of 'conspiring to end democracy,' calling for a treason case to be filed against Gyanesh Kumar. This comes amid a broader political battle over the integrity of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process — AAP and other opposition parties have alleged it was used to delete voters from electoral rolls in constituencies considered unfavourable to the ruling party, a charge the Election Commission has not publicly responded to in detail.
The scale and coordination of Friday's protests — with detentions at Jantar Mantar and a simultaneous march elsewhere in Delhi — signal that AAP intends to keep pressure on the Election Commission ahead of upcoming electoral cycles. Whether the Centre or the Commission responds formally to the resignation demand remains to be seen.
Point of View
But it rests on a serious procedural question: whether the SIR process systematically removed voters in opposition-leaning constituencies. That allegation, if substantiated, would be a constitutional crisis of the first order; if unsubstantiated, it risks delegitimising an institution that India's democracy depends on. The reference to 'two fellow Election Commissioners' exposing the CEC is the most significant new element — it suggests internal dissent within the Commission itself, which deserves far closer scrutiny than the street theatre of detentions. Mainstream coverage has focused on the protests; the harder story is whether the institutional fracture at the Election Commission is real, and what accountability mechanism exists if it is.
NationPress
2 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were AAP leaders detained on 2 October in Delhi?
AAP leaders and workers were detained by Delhi Police at Jantar Mantar on 2 October while staging a protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. They were taken to Fatehpur Beri Police Station in south Delhi. The party alleges the CEC oversaw 'vote theft' through the Special Intensive Revision process.
What is the AAP's allegation against CEC Gyanesh Kumar?
AAP alleges that Gyanesh Kumar oversaw the deletion of legitimate voters from electoral rolls — what the party calls 'vote theft' — to benefit the BJP. The party has called for his immediate resignation and, in stronger statements, for treason charges to be filed against him. The Election Commission has not publicly addressed these allegations in detail.
Who are the key AAP leaders involved in the protests?
Former Delhi Chief Minister Atishi and AAP spokesperson Anurag Dhanda were among those detained at Jantar Mantar. Delhi AAP chief Saurabh Bharadwaj and MLA Jarnail Singh led a separate protest march in the capital. MLA Sanjeev Jha also made public statements demanding action against the CEC.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that AAP is objecting to?
The Special Intensive Revision is an electoral roll revision exercise conducted by the Election Commission. AAP and other opposition parties allege it was used to delete the names of genuine voters, particularly in constituencies seen as unfavourable to the ruling party. They are demanding the irregularities in the SIR be rolled back.
What happens next in this standoff between AAP and the Election Commission?
AAP has indicated it will sustain its protest campaign until Gyanesh Kumar resigns and reforms are made to the Election Commission. The party's leaders have cited nationwide agitations by multiple political parties and civil society groups as evidence of growing public pressure. No formal government or Election Commission response to the resignation demand has been reported so far.
