Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 31: The Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc on Saturday held a mock “Public Impeachment” of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar reiterating its central allegation that the BJP-led NDA government was “illegitimate” as recent elections have been “stolen” and highlighted that the opposition’s initiative was aimed at protecting the credibility of a key constitutional institution.
The programme held at the official residence of the Congress national president and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge at the Rajaji Marg with the proceedings conducted by the former speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar “from the chair.” The programme brought together INDIA bloc leaders for the symbolic exercise against the CEC.
The mock impeachment, initially scheduled for Friday, was postponed by a day after rain disrupted plans in the national capital. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi announced the change, saying the decision was taken unanimously to ensure that senior leaders did not face inconvenience due to the weather.
The BJP reacted by jabbing Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, saying he was now “sitting in a Parliament of his own choice, unable to win elections in reality.” Party spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan described the mock session as an attempt to create confusion and propagate misleading narratives. “This is a mockery, not a mock parliament,” he said.
The BJP MP Sambit Patra criticised the Congress’s symbolic ‘mock Parliament’ protest, alleging that the first instance of vote theft took place under Jawaharlal Nehru. He also defended the SIR process, explaining the ‘ASDD’ categories used to identify voters missing from electoral rolls.
At the programme, Kharge launched a sharp attack on Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of functioning under the direct instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Kharge alleged that the Election Commission was no longer functioning independently and said the Opposition’s initiative was aimed at protecting the credibility of a key constitutional institution.
Opening the proceedings, Kharge claimed that 193 Opposition MPs had submitted notices in both Houses of Parliament seeking the CEC’s removal around seven months ago. However, he alleged that their notices were rejected without being taken into consideration.
“CEC Gyanesh Kumar is running the Commission under the direct instructions of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. Seven months ago, 193 opposition MPs moved a motion in both Houses of Parliament to remove the CEC. However, our notices were rejected, and no cognisance was taken of them. Therefore, the motion we have brought forward today is aimed at safeguarding the dignity of a constitutional institution,” he said.
The seating arrangement on the lawn and Meira Kumar’s seat on a stage with a backdrop were modelled on the Central Hall of the old Parliament building, where the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sat together in the past.
At the mock sitting, chief ministers were also present, a day before the INDIA bloc’s mega rally planned at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, as part of the series of ongoing protests by the Opposition, the meme page-turned-pressure group Cockroach Janta Party, and others. For the November 1 rally, the other groups have also declared support for the INDIA bloc’s agenda, except some like the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has underlined that it is not part of the bloc as such.
The proceedings were beamed live on X by Rahul Gandhi and other party handles. “You have seen that people’s votes are being removed improperly. Whenever questions are raised, there is no transparency in the responses. That is why an ‘impeachment motion’ has been brought to remove Gyanesh Kumar from his position,” Meira Kumar said, declaring the mock session open. She said this was worrisome as India’s is the largest democracy in the world: “Nations from across the world in Asia, Africa, South America look up to us and follow our model of democracy.”
She explained the proceedings: “Those whose names have been removed from the voters’ list will have an opportunity to speak today. Members of the INDIA bloc, MPs from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, representatives of civil society, and citizens whose names have been deleted from the electoral rolls will express their views.”
Kharge then stood up and moved the symbolic motion, saying, “The right to vote is the most fundamental thing in a democracy. And it is under serious threat today. This is a fight to save democracy. The Chief Election Commissioner is acting on the direct instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.”
He further alleged, “To retain its hold on power, the ruling establishment has resorted to every possible conspiracy. There’s been theft of MPs, breaking of political parties, toppling and stealing of governments, the electoral bond scheme, and the use of agencies like the ED and CBI. And now, there is vote theft.”
As a formal statement for the motion, he said, “The members of the INDIA alliance representing over 60 per cent of the population of India and citizens assembled in New Delhi on October 31, 2026, affirming their foremost commitment to universal adult franchise, as enshrined in Article 326 of the Constitution of India, that is under great threat by actions of the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr Gyanesh Kumar, hereby resolve that he be impeached on the following charges,” listing six “charges”: “Conspired to steal elections, deleted 13.2 crore voters, rewrote Form 6 (for voter enrolment) without Parliament approval, seized the voter rolls through ECINET (online system), shut out the other two commissioners, and acted at the behest of PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.”
The Congress had planned to hold a “mock parliament” originally, which it later re-termed “public impeachment”. For an actual impeachment, the INDIA bloc gave notices that were rejected, and it does not have the numbers for it anyway.
Clarifying the Opposition’s position, Kharge said its campaign was not driven by personal hostility towards the Chief Election Commissioner. He maintained that the I.N.D.I.A bloc wanted the poll body to function independently and uphold the constitutional principles governing elections. “We hold no personal grudge against the CEC. Our intention is for the Election Commission to function impartially, in line with the spirit of the Constitution, so that the common man’s trust in it remains intact. We must ensure that the voting rights of vulnerable sections, women, and the youth are not surreptitiously deleted from a computer by someone sitting in Delhi,” the Congress chief said.
Kharge also raised concerns over alleged deletions from electoral rolls, particularly those that could affect vulnerable sections of society. He argued that voters must be able to exercise their democratic rights without interference and that the Election Commission must retain public confidence.
Earlier, from the government’s side, the Home Minister Amit Shah had on Friday challenged Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, who leads the largest Opposition group in the Lok Sabha after the Congress, to debate the issue of electoral rolls in a special session of Parliament.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party is fully prepared to discuss this in Parliament. We have nothing to hide. Let us convene a special session of Parliament,” Shah said at the Uttar Pradesh BJP meeting in Lucknow. “But they have no intention of speaking there. They refuse to let Parliament function; instead, they just create a ruckus,” he added, speaking of the Opposition at large.
The INDIA bloc has been demanding Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, suspension of the SIR and restoration of pre-SIR electoral rolls. The exercise has deleted about 13 crore names from the rolls, which is about 14 per cent of the pre-SIR numbers.
The SIR has come up in and stalled Parliament before. In the 2025 monsoon session, Parliament transacted little business apart from the debates on Operation Sindoor, with repeated adjournments mostly over the SIR in Bihar. In the winter session, the government cited the Election Commission’s status as an independent constitutional body and agreed to a debate on electoral reforms rather than on the SIR.
During that debate on December 10, 2025, Rahul Gandhi challenged Shah to debate his three “vote chori” press conferences. Shah replied that he would decide the order of his own speech, and Opposition MPs later walked out. In April, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan had rejected Opposition notices to move a motion for Gyanesh Kumar’s removal.
Mr Kharge said the INDIA bloc was not fighting to protect “infiltrators” but for genuine voters. The Congress president also launched a broader attack on the BJP-led government, alleging that attempts to retain political power since 2014 had involved several controversial political and investigative developments. “Since 2014, every possible conspiracy has been hatched to seize and retain power. They have stolen MPs, broken up political parties, toppled governments, and used electoral bonds, the ED, and the CBI, and now they are stealing votes,” he alleged.
He further linked the Opposition’s allegations against the Election Commission to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. According to Kharge, the legislation has given the Election Commissioners excessive protection and weakened the accountability of the institution. He also alleged that its passage in December 2023, after the suspension of 145 Opposition MPs, raised serious questions about the legislative process.
“We have hundreds of examples of such vote theft. Gyanesh Kumar is able to facilitate this theft due to the 2023 Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act. This bill was passed in December 2023 after suspending 145 opposition MPs. It is shameful and a disgrace. This law grants the Election Commissioners a lifelong protective shield—a level of protection not even afforded to the President or the Chief Justice of India…,” he alleged.
Speaking at the INDIA bloc’s symbolic impeachment programme, TMC MP Saugata Roy said the Opposition had followed legal procedure to submit an impeachment notice but was not allowed to raise the issue in Parliament. He also cited concerns over voter names being deleted from electoral rolls.
The RJD leader and Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav accused Gyanesh Kumar of orchestrating alleged vote theft at the behest of Mr Modi and Amit Shah. He vowed to unite against what he described as an attempt to undermine democracy.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, who presided over the programme, underlined the importance of protecting voting rights and maintaining the credibility of India’s electoral system. She said India’s democratic framework serves as an example for several countries and stressed that every eligible citizen must have the opportunity to participate in elections. According to her, even a single voter being denied the right to vote undermines the fundamental spirit of democracy.
“…It has been decided that the INDIA bloc will convene a meeting to bring forward an impeachment motion to remove Gyanesh Kumar from his position. This impeachment motion will be moved in the Rajya Sabha by the Leader of the Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge, who will subsequently deliver a statement…Ours is the largest democracy in the world. Nations across the globe, in Asia, Africa, and South America, look up to us and follow our model of democracy.
“Our democracy is driven by the power of elections, and at the heart of this electoral power lies the soul of the voter. The voter is the focal point of the entire electoral process. If even a single voter is denied the right to cast their vote, it strikes a blow to the very soul of our democracy. Preventing someone from voting inflicts harm upon our democracy,” she added.
Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi appealed to people to join the INDIA bloc’s proposed march in Delhi on Sunday ahead of its rally at the Ramlila Maidan.
Gandhi announced that the march would begin at 12 noon from the Minto Road junction near Connaught Place, proceed towards Ajmeri Gate and culminate at Ramlila Maidan. He invited political parties, civil society representatives and members of the public to participate in the mobilisation. Mr Gandhi also accused the Home Minister of trying to prevent people from reaching Delhi for the November 1 rally, an allegation rejected as a ‘lie’ by the BJP.
However, the proposed march has raised a question over police clearance. Delhi Police sources said no application had been submitted seeking permission for a procession from Connaught Place. The police have, however, granted permission for the INDIA bloc’s rally at Ramlila Maidan.