Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, speaking at the INDIA bloc's symbolic impeachment programme against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi on Saturday, said the Opposition had followed the prescribed legal procedure to submit an impeachment notice but was not allowed to raise the matter in Parliament.
Roy also flagged concerns over the deletion of voters' names from electoral rolls, making it one of the grounds for the Opposition's campaign against the CEC.
Samajwadi Party MP Harendra Malik termed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls a "direct assault" on the PDA, alleging that the exercise was being used to delete the names of voters belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minority communities.
Speaking at the INDIA bloc's symbolic public impeachment programme against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Malik said the revision was not a routine administrative exercise but an attempt to influence elections through what he called "match-fixing". PDA, coined by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, stands for Pichhda (backward classes), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (minorities).
Supporting the resolution moved by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Malik said the CEC must be removed to protect the Constitution and democracy. He also stressed that impartial elections and the protection of voters' rights were fundamental to democracy.
The BJP on Saturday criticised the Congress's symbolic public impeachment programme against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with party MP Sambit Patra calling the Opposition's mock Parliament a "mockery" of the institution and accusing former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of committing the first "vote theft".
Speaking to ANI, Patra said the Congress was staging a drama in the name of a mock Parliament and argued that the first instance of electoral manipulation had taken place under Nehru.
Defending the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Patra said the names of 13 crore people had not yet been included in the final electoral rolls across states where the exercise was underway. He sought to explain the process through what he called the 'ASDD' formula.
Explaining the first category, Patra said 'A' stood for 'Absent'. He said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visited each household three times with enumeration forms that voters were required to fill out. If a person was unavailable on all three visits, their name would be marked as 'absent' and excluded from the electoral roll.
He said 'S' stood for 'Shifted', referring to people who had permanently moved from their registered addresses.
Kharge said India had granted universal adult franchise from the time its Constitution came into effect, extending voting rights to women, Dalits, the poor and marginalised sections irrespective of their backgrounds.
Kharge contrasted India's approach with that of countries such as the US, Australia, Canada, the UK and France, where women were not granted voting rights immediately when democratic systems were established.
He also alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had opposed universal voting rights at the time, saying it had raised objections to the principle.
Kharge accused the Election Commission of announcing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls overnight and implementing it across the country to delete the votes of people opposed to the BJP.
Kharge alleged that the Modi government was invoking the issue of outsiders and infiltrators to divert attention from its own failures.
He rejected the allegation that the Opposition was seeking to include infiltrators in electoral rolls, saying it was instead demanding that genuine and eligible voters be retained. Kharge said the Opposition's campaign was aimed at protecting their voting rights.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday accused the BJP-led government of using multiple means to retain power since 2014, alleging that it had poached MPs, split political parties, toppled state governments and used electoral bonds and central investigative agencies before turning to what he called vote theft.
Kharge alleged that the CEC was able to facilitate electoral manipulation because of the 2023 Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act.
He said the law was passed in December 2023 after 145 Opposition MPs had been suspended from Parliament. Kharge criticised the legislation for granting Election Commissioners protection from legal proceedings, describing it as a lifelong protective shield and claiming that even the President and the Chief Justice of India did not enjoy a similar level of protection.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced six charges against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at the INDIA bloc's symbolic public impeachment programme.
The six charges levelled by the Opposition against Kumar are:
Conspiring to steal elections.
Deleting 13.2 crore voters from electoral rolls.
Rewriting Form 6 without Parliament's approval.
Seizing electoral rolls through ECINET.
Shutting out the other two Election Commissioners from the decision-making process.
Acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of running the Election Commission under the direct instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Addressing the INDIA bloc's symbolic public impeachment programme, Kharge said 193 Opposition MPs had moved notices in both Houses of Parliament seven months ago seeking the CEC's removal, but the notices were rejected without being taken up.
Kharge said the Opposition's move was not driven by any personal grudge against Kumar but was intended to protect the dignity of a constitutional institution and ensure that the Election Commission functioned impartially in accordance with the Constitution. He said the credibility of the poll body was essential to maintaining public trust in the electoral process.
He also raised concerns over the deletion of voters' names from electoral rolls, saying the voting rights of vulnerable sections, women and young people must be protected. He warned against voters being removed from the rolls through computerised processes by officials sitting in Delhi, without their knowledge.
At the INDIA bloc's symbolic public impeachment program against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Former Lok Sabha Speaker and Congress leader Meira Kumar says, "...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."
CPI(M) MP AA Rahim said the campaign against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar reflected public opinion and formed part of an ongoing democratic struggle. He described it as a new form of symbolic impeachment and said it would be recorded in the country's history.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker and Congress leader Meira Kumar said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge would address the gathering first, followed by INDIA bloc leaders and representatives of civil society. Citizens whose names have been removed from electoral rolls would also share their experiences at the event.
AISA president Neha Bora arrived at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence for the Opposition's 'public impeachment' of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. She said the exercise should have taken place inside Parliament if those in power were genuinely representing the interests of the people.
CPI general secretary D Raja arrived at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence for the Opposition's 'public impeachment' event against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He said Sunday's rally would send a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that "the country cannot be ruled in this way"
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the Opposition had no option but to hold a mock Parliament to pursue the impeachment notices against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, as the notices had not been admitted by the presiding officers of either House. He urged the Union Home Minister to intervene to ensure the notices are admitted in Parliament.
On the proposed rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, Tharoor said he expected the event to go ahead, adding that the final decision on the programme would rest with the party leadership.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari said the party organised a mock Parliament as a protest against what he described as the Election Commission's loss of impartiality. He claimed that developments within the poll body had reinforced concerns raised by Rahul Gandhi over alleged electoral manipulation. Patwari said Gandhi had been demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation for the past three years and claimed that lakhs of people would take to the streets of Delhi as part of the protest.
The INDIA bloc is hosting a symbolic "public impeachment" proceeding against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar today at 3:30 PM at Kharge's residence,10 Rajaji Marg, New Delhi. Chaired by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, the event brings together leaders from over 20 opposition parties alongside jurists and citizens affected by the Special Intensive Revision process, featuring a motion introduced by Mallikarjun Kharge, citizen testimonies, and a concluding address by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
This public assembly serves as the key focal point of the opposition's weekend offensive demanding the CEC's resignation over alleged vote deletions, leading directly into their planned mass rally at Ramlila Maidan.
The event, originally scheduled for Friday, was postponed due to rain in the national capital.
The proceedings come a day before the bloc's November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan under the slogan 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao'