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INDI bloc plans fresh impeachment motion against CEC (Img: IANS)
New Delhi: Amid renewed controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the INDI bloc is mulling to move an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in both Houses of Parliament.
According to sources, Opposition parties are currently working on a draft of the motion for impeachment and are expected to submit the notice in the coming days. Sources said Parliament does not necessarily have to be in session for such a notice to be moved. They indicated that the notice could be submitted as early as next week.
The proposed motion follows a report by The Indian Express that raised questions about internal deliberations within the three-member Election Commission over the SIR exercise.
According to the report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi repeatedly raised concerns about decisions and orders connected with the revision of electoral rolls.
The nationwide rollout of the SIR has been overseen by all three commissioners. However, the report stated that Sandhu and Joshi formally recorded objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months. On one occasion, four objections were reportedly raised on the same day.
The objections related to decisions and orders that the two commissioners said had been issued without their knowledge.
The Election Commission, however, has maintained that decisions concerning the SIR were taken unanimously and with the approval of all three commissioners.
The latest initiative is not the first attempt by Opposition parties to seek the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.
In March 2026, a notice seeking Gyanesh Kumar's removal was submitted in the Rajya Sabha with the backing of 130 Lok Sabha MPs and 63 Rajya Sabha members.
That move marked the first such impeachment motion against the head of the Election Commission. However, the notice was rejected by the Rajya Sabha Chairman and the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Opposition parties subsequently submitted another impeachment motion in April. That motion is currently pending.
The latest move is being prepared against the backdrop of continuing political debate over the SIR process and the functioning of the Election Commission.
The proposed notice is expected to be submitted once the draft is finalised, with sources indicating that next week is the likely timeframe.
The Election Commission's position remains that its decisions on the SIR were taken collectively and unanimously, despite the reported internal objections.
