New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday issued a sharp warning to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, saying he would “not survive” in office, as Opposition parties held a symbolic public impeachment proceeding against him in New Delhi.
The INDIA bloc organised a mock Parliament at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence at 10, Rajaji Marg, where leaders passed a resolution demanding Kumar’s removal over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Addressing the gathering, Rahul said the Opposition had been left with “no other option” but to hold the symbolic proceeding because, according to him, institutional avenues such as Parliament, the judiciary and the Election Commission were closed to them.
“We are here because we have nowhere else to go. We have no other option. Every single institutional direction is closed to us,” he said.
The event was chaired by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, while Kharge moved the resolution listing six allegations against the CEC.
Rahul Gandhi Alleges 13.3 Crore Voter Deletions
Rahul alleged that 13.3 crore voters, accounting for around 15 per cent of India’s electorate, had been deleted from electoral rolls. He questioned the implications of such deletions for the legitimacy of election results, pointing out that several constituencies in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were decided by margins of around three per cent.
“We have enough proof,” Rahul said while warning that Kumar could not continue indefinitely behind the institution he was appointed to serve.
He also said the Opposition would neither forgive nor forget what it described as electoral manipulation. Rahul further questioned why the BJP would continue to support Kumar if the allegations were not a cause for concern.
The figure of 13.3 crore was an allegation made by Rahul Gandhi at the event and was not independently established during the proceedings.
INDIA Bloc Lists Six Charges Against CEC
Moving the resolution, Kharge accused Kumar of compromising the Election Commission’s independence and acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The six charges listed by the Opposition included:
- Alleged manipulation of election results through additions to and deletions from electoral rolls.
- Alleged deletion of 13.2 crore voters during the SIR exercise.
- Changes to Form 6 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, allegedly made without parliamentary oversight.
- Centralisation of electoral roll management through ERONET and ECINET, allegedly reducing the role of local Electoral Registration Officers.
- Allegedly excluding the other two Election Commissioners from important decisions.
- Allegedly compromising the Election Commission’s constitutional independence and denying the Opposition a fair hearing.
The resolution also demanded Kumar’s removal, an end to the SIR exercise and changes to the 2023 law governing the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners.
Kharge said 193 Opposition MPs had submitted a notice seeking Kumar’s removal around seven months ago, but it had been rejected.
Meira Kumar Presides Over Mock Parliament
The proceedings began with the national anthem, following which Meira Kumar addressed the gathering. She alleged that large numbers of voters were being removed from electoral rolls without transparency or accountability.
“If even one voter is denied the right to cast their vote, the soul of our democracy is hurt,” she said.
After the speeches and testimonies, Meira Kumar put the resolution to a vote. Opposition members present raised their hands in support, following which she declared, “Prastav parit hua” (the resolution has been passed).
The exercise was a symbolic public proceeding organised by the Opposition and did not constitute a formal parliamentary impeachment or removal of the CEC.
MPs and Voters Raise Concerns Over Electoral Rolls
Several Opposition leaders and individuals who claimed to have been affected by voter deletions spoke during the programme.
CPI(M) MP John Brittas said he had personally undergone two hearings to establish his eligibility as a voter. He questioned the difficulties ordinary citizens might face if an MP had to go through such a process.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant raised questions about voting figures in the Maharashtra Assembly elections. He alleged that four million votes had been cast between 4 pm and 5 pm and said the Opposition had not received CCTV footage sought from the Election Commission.
Two voters also shared their experiences of alleged deletions from electoral rolls.
Iftikhar Ahmad, a resident of Kolkata’s Chowringhee constituency, said he had voted there for 20 years but found his name missing from the draft electoral rolls.
Anita Jaiswal, who said she had voted in every election between 2012 and 2025, questioned why her voter ID had been deleted and demanded its restoration.
TMC MP Sagarika Ghose, Samajwadi Party MP Harendra Malik and CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar also criticised the Election Commission during the proceedings.
Sonia Gandhi, Hemant Soren and Other INDIA Bloc Leaders Attend
The symbolic proceedings were attended by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and MPs from several INDIA bloc parties were also present, along with civil society representatives and student leaders.
