On Wednesday, a wave of Congress cadres gathered at the Indira Gandhi statue on Necklace Road and crossed the bustling streets of Hyderabad, heading straight for Lok Bhavan, the seat of the state Election Commission.
Police intercepted the march near the Gandi statue, detaining TPCC Chief Mahesh Kumar Goud, ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Adluri Laxman Kumar, and Vakiti Srihari, and then escorted them to Panjagutta Police Station.
The same day, AICC Secretary Sachin Sawant and other Congress officials were also taken into custody and shifted to Begum Bazaar Police Station.
In a press conference, Ponnam Prabhakar accused the BJP of attempting to undermine voters' rights, citing alleged irregularities in the voter revision process, and vowed that Congress would continue protesting until Prime Minister Narendra Modi responds and the CEC resigns.
Mahesh Kumar Goud, speaking to Times Now, said the march was a show of solidarity with the national leadership and that the protest would persist until the Election Commission head stepped down.
The arrests have sparked a flurry of legal filings; a petition for a judicial review has already been lodged, and a court hearing is slated for Friday, where the detained leaders will seek to challenge the police action.