A second straight day of Opposition protest over alleged “vote chori” and the demand for CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation turned central Delhi into political battleground on Wednesday, with Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and several INDIA bloc MPs detained after police stopped their buses from reaching Jantar Mantar.As a prolonged standoff unfolded near Janpath, MPs climbed atop buses waving the Tricolour, leaders sat on the road, and Priyanka lay down at the Shangri-La/Meridian roundabout clutching a copy of the Constitution before being forcibly removed by women police personnel.The protest began after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hosted INDIA bloc leaders for lunch at Janpath. The leaders then boarded buses for Jantar Mantar, where they had planned a sit-in.Before leaving, Rahul said around 300 Opposition MPs had sought to meet the Election Commissioners a day earlier but were prevented from doing so. He then said the Opposition would now go to Jantar Mantar and sit together.Calling Gyanesh Kumar “not a legitimate Election Commissioner”, Rahul reiterated the Opposition’s demand for his resignation and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Kumar of having “destroyed the country’s democracy”.Asked about the FIR registered after Tuesday’s protest, Rahul said he already had 45 FIRs lodged against him and wanted the number to reach 100. “Every FIR is a medal for me,” he said.Kharge said the Opposition would continue its campaign until its demands were met and alleged that the Election Commission was repeatedly committing errors at the behest of the Prime Minister.The confrontation escalated when police stopped the buses near the Janpath-Ashoka Road intersection, a short distance from Jantar Mantar. Barricades, security personnel and police vehicles blocked the route.The three buses, however, were stopped near the intersection of Janpath and Ashoka Road, a short distance from Jantar Mantar. The police had put in place a multi-layered security cordon with barricades and several vehicles blocking the route.The buses remained stranded for nearly two hours as the MPs refused to abandon their plan. The standoff soon turned into a street confrontation.Several MPs climbed onto the roofs of the buses, waving the Tricolour and raising slogans. Rahul and Priyanka eventually got down from the buses along with other leaders and sat on the road near the roundabout close to the Shangri-La Hotel.The most striking image of the day came when Priyanka, joined by several women leaders, lay down on the road holding a copy of the Constitution as the police tightened the cordon around the protesters.“I will not move from here. This is how they treat MPs who simply want to meet the Election Commission,” she said, alleging that police personnel assaulted protesters.“They have scratched me all over and thrown us to the ground. Let them call their forces back,” she said.The police then moved in against Rahul. Surrounded by personnel, he was lifted and carried to a police bus, triggering fresh protests. Congress leaders Amrinder Singh Raja Warring and Udai Bhanu Chib climbed onto the roof of the bus carrying Rahul, while party workers gathered around it.Soon afterwards, women police personnel removed Priyanka and other women leaders from the road and took them away in buses.Several Opposition MPs, including Deepender Hooda, were also detained. Rahul was taken to Barakhamba police station, while Priyanka and a number of other leaders were taken to Chhatrasal Stadium. They were released shortly afterwards.The showdown came less than 24 hours after an eight-hour Opposition sit-in at Akashvani Bhawan. On Tuesday, around 300 MPs had marched from Parliament towards the Election Commission headquarters seeking a meeting with the poll panel and demanding Kumar’s resignation. The police had stopped the march near NITI Aayog, following which Rahul climbed a barricade and waved the Tricolour before several leaders were detained.Unlike Tuesday’s attempt to march towards the Election Commission, the Opposition on Wednesday sought to shift its protest to Jantar Mantar, the designated demonstration site. However, the police blockade again prevented the leaders from reaching their destination.Jairam Ramesh alleged that Rahul, Priyanka and other INDIA bloc leaders were dragged away by the Delhi Police while attempting to reach Jantar Mantar, calling the action an affront to democracy and the Constitution.Pawan Khera said the Opposition had no option but to move towards Jantar Mantar as it was being denied permission to protest elsewhere in the Capital. He invoked Article 19 and the right to protest.TMC leader Derek O’Brien, among those detained, indicated that the agitation would continue. “So what if you detained us for two days in a row. Tomorrow, Day 3 … wait,” he posted on X.Congress general secretary KC Venugopal described the police action as an assault on the Constitution and said the party would intensify its nationwide campaign until Kumar was removed from office.He said the party had declared October 7 a “Black Day” for democracy and directed party units at the block and district levels to organise massive protests on October 8.Wednesday’s protest saw participation from the Congress, TMC, CPI(M), CPI, RJD, IUML and other Opposition parties. Samajwadi Party MPs, who had joined Tuesday’s protest, were absent. TMC MP Mahua Moitra also alleged that protesters had been manhandled and accused the police of using force.