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Opposition parties in India, led by the All India Trinamool Congress, are preparing to submit an impeachment notice against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Parliament. Leaders including Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav have backed the move.
Opposition Targets CEC Gyanesh Kumar
New Delhi: A major development has taken place in national politics. Opposition parties are preparing to introduce a motion of impeachment against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. It is expected that the opposition, led by the Trinamool Congress, will introduce a notice of this motion in Parliament on Thursday. The opposition parties have formed a united strategy on this issue and have gathered the necessary signatures of MPs.
An important meeting of opposition parties was held on Wednesday in the chamber of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on this issue. Several prominent opposition leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, were present.
The Trinamool Congress's motion was supported in the meeting, and consensus was reached on introducing an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner. Following this, signatures of MPs were collected for the notice in both houses.
According to sources, signatures of approximately 120 MPs from the Lok Sabha and approximately 60 MPs from the Rajya Sabha have been collected for the motion. According to the rules, a minimum of 100 signatures are required in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha to introduce an impeachment motion.
The opposition plans to submit a notice of this motion in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to facilitate a comprehensive discussion on the issue.
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The Trinamool Congress's strategy is to make the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll a major political issue ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. The opposition alleges that, at the behest of the government, the names of eligible voters are being removed from the electoral rolls under the pretext of SIR.
The notice makes this issue the main focus of the notice and accuses the Central Election Commission of failing to maintain impartiality.
The Trinamool Congress wants this motion to be discussed in the current session of Parliament. According to the rules, at least 14 days' notice is required before any impeachment motion can be discussed. Therefore, if the notice is submitted on Thursday, a debate on this issue could be possible in this session itself.
The process for removing the Chief Election Commissioner from office is similar to that for Supreme Court and High Court judges. It requires "proven misbehavior" or "incapacity."
An impeachment motion can be introduced in either House of Parliament. Passing it requires a majority of the total membership of the House, as well as a two-thirds majority of those present and voting.
