‘Left with no choice’: INDIA bloc ‘impeaches’ Gyanesh Kumar in mock Parliament, accuses him of treason
TWENTY-one INDIA bloc parties led by the Congress on Saturday “impeached” Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in a first-of-its-kind mock parliament, adopting a six-point resolution accusing him of electoral manipulation, large-scale voter deletions and compromising the independence of the Election Commission, and demanding his immediate removal from office.
The Opposition parties held the symbolic impeachment proceedings at 10 Rajaji Marg, the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, as part of their ‘vote chori’ campaign against the Election Commission and the BJP-led Centre.
The proceedings were presided over by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, with Kharge moving the resolution against the CEC.
The proposal for this public impeachment was presented before the house by the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge.
The INDIA bloc is set to hold a massive rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, 1 November.
“This political weapon is going to give justice to the people of India. This is our sacred duty to the Constitution and to the people of India. We are left with no choice but to do this,” said Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Claiming that 13.3 crore voters had been deleted in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Gandhi said this represented 15 per cent of the electorate.
“These voters participated in the last Lok Sabha election, where the victory margin was 3 per cent,” he said.
“Now, the Election Commission itself is saying that 15 per cent of the voters should never have voted. The Election Commission itself is saying that the 2024 election was illegitimate and that those elected to the Lok Sabha do not have a legitimate mandate,” he added.
“You cannot delete these voters and still claim that the 2024 election was legitimate. We guarantee—we are not going to forgive and forget. Those who commit ‘vote theft’ and betray the country will not be spared at any cost—punishment will surely be given,” Gandhi said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge added: “The first experiment of vote theft through SIR took place in Bihar. Then it was implemented across the country to delete anti-BJP voters.”
“We are not advocating for keeping the deceased on the voter list; they must certainly be removed from the list,” Kharge said, clarifying that the Opposition was not against removing deceased voters from the electoral rolls.
“But the Modi government is repeatedly using the excuse of infiltrators to cover up its own mistakes,” he added.
“We are trying to save democracy and the electoral system, and for that, we had to take to the streets as well,” he said.
The Opposition adopted a six-point resolution seeking Kumar’s removal, accusing him of manipulating electoral rolls and compromising the independence of the constitutional body.
The six charges listed in the resolution were:
Electoral manipulation: Alleged participation in a BJP conspiracy to manipulate national and state elections through additions and deletions in voter rolls.
SIR deletions: Alleged responsibility for the removal of 13.2 crore voters through a manipulated and opaque revision exercise.
Form 6 amendments: Allegedly changing Form 6 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, without parliamentary oversight, affecting first-time voter enrolment.
Centralisation: Allegedly centralising control over electoral rolls through ERONET and ECINET software and restricting local electoral registration officers.
Exclusion of commissioners: Allegedly excluding two election commissioners from decision-making, prompting at least 14 objections to be recorded.
Constitutional violations: Allegedly acting in favour of the BJP, denying Opposition leaders hearings and failing to act against political disqualifications and assaults. The resolution also made allegations about benefits received by members of Kumar’s family.
Exercise in vote theft
Speaking at the event, Sagarika Ghose, the deputy leader of Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha, said, “The Bengal election of 2026 was stolen. But we will not let them, the Modi-Shah-Gyanesh gathbandhan, steal any more elections.”
Samajwadi Party MP Harendra Malik alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission were depriving citizens of their voting rights. “Under the guise of EVMs, vote robbery is being carried out, in which the opposition is defeated even before it can contest the elections,” he added.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Ganpat Sawant questioned voting figures during the 2024 Maharashtra assembly elections, alleging that four million votes were cast within two hours between 4 pm and 5 pm.
“We demanded video proof of this from Gyanesh Kumar, but to this day, he has not provided us with any CCTV footage,” Sawant said.
CPI(M) MP John Brittas said he himself attended two hearings to establish his eligibility as a voter. “If this is the plight of an MP, one can only imagine the predicament of an ordinary citizen,” he added.
Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav said, “Gyanesh Kumar has tarnished not only the Election Commission but also the credibility of India. He has conspired to break this country.”
RJD MP Abhay Kushwaha said “Gyanesh Kumar should be immediately removed from his post and a case of treason should be registered against him”. “Around 47 lakh names had been deleted during SIR in Bihar and around 13.2 crore nationally,” he added.
CPI(ML) Liberation MP Sudama Prasad added, “We demand that CEC Gyanesh Kumar be removed from his post, arrested and sent to jail, and prosecuted for treason.”
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Rajya Sabha MP Baidyanath Ram called SIR an exercise in vote theft and demanded a sedition case against Kumar. Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP E.T. Mohammed Basheer described the CEC as a “manipulator” and “political criminal”.
Citizens who claimed their names had been deleted during SIR also shared their experiences.
“I want to know—why was my vote cut, and which country’s citizen am I? I will not fill out Form 6; I want my old voter card back,” said Anita Jaiswal, who moved from Kolkata to Delhi in 2003 and received her Voter ID in 2012.
Social activist Nikhil Dey also attended with citizens Kanta Prasad, Maya Devi and Kamal, whose names were deleted from the electoral rolls.
