INDIA bloc holds symbolic impeachment of Gyanesh Kumar, escalates election allegations

The INDIA bloc planned its "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as part of a campaign over alleged "vote chori", or vote theft. Congress leader K.C. Venugopal said 21 parties had planned the event as a curtain raiser for a November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan, according to The Hindu.

The venue became an early point of contention. Congress alleged that permission for the proposed October 30 programme at Ashoka Hotel had been denied after police intervention, The Hindu reported. The event was subsequently moved to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence, according to Times now.

By October 29, the opposition had set out a format resembling parliamentary proceedings. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar was to preside, Kharge was to move the motion and Rahul Gandhi was to speak at the end, The Hindu reported.

On October 30, rain in Delhi forced a postponement to October 31. Mint described the proposed proceedings as symbolic and linked them to the opposition's campaign over alleged vote theft and the SIR exercise.

The event went ahead on October 31 at Kharge's residence in New Delhi. The Congress-led INDIA bloc unanimously passed a symbolic motion seeking Kumar's removal, according to Times now. The Hindu reported that the proceedings centred on six charges.

The gathering also heard from people questioning the deletion of their names from electoral rolls. Student leaders and activists spoke alongside them, The Hindu reported.

On November 1, the campaign moved to Ramlila Maidan. Gandhi called the 2024 Lok Sabha elections "illegal" and said Kumar would go to jail, according to NDTV Top Stories. India News reported that he alleged votes had been stolen through electronic voting machines.

The October 31 vote was a symbolic opposition motion seeking Kumar's removal, not a reported removal from office. That distinction matters: Times now described the motion as symbolic, while The Hindu used the same description for the public impeachment proceedings.

Gandhi has widened his accusations beyond Kumar. At the November 1 rally, he said PM Modi and HM Shah would face legal action over alleged vote theft, according to News. These remain allegations and threatened action in the supplied coverage, rather than established findings or reported legal outcomes.

The BJP has ridiculed the opposition's exercise. NDTV Top Stories reported its jibe that Gandhi should be made a "mock PM", while India Today reported Amit Shah's response invoking the 1984 riots.

The immediate question is whether the symbolic removal demand and rally speeches lead to formal action. The supplied reporting establishes the opposition's motion and Gandhi's threats of legal action, but does not report a formal removal proceeding or a resulting legal case, according to the accounts from Times now and News.