INDIA Bloc Stages Symbolic Impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

The INDIA bloc planned the "public impeachment" as part of its 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. On October 27, Times now reported that the event would move to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence after permission was denied at Ashoka Hotel. Venugopal alleged that police intervention had led to the denial, according to The Hindu. That was the Congress account, not an independently established explanation.

By October 29, the opposition was preparing proceedings with former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presiding. Kharge was expected to move the motion and Rahul Gandhi to speak at the end, The Hindu reported.

On October 30, rain in Delhi forced the organisers to postpone the event until October 31. Mint described it as a symbolic exercise linked to the opposition's allegations of vote theft and its campaign over the SIR exercise.

On October 31, the bloc held the event at Kharge's residence and presented six charges against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, according to The Hindu. Times now reported that participants unanimously passed a symbolic motion seeking his removal.

The allegations included conspiring to steal elections, Scroll.in reported. Voters also questioned the deletion of names from electoral rolls, while student leaders and activists spoke at the gathering, according to The Hindu. These were accusations and accounts presented at an opposition event, not findings established by the proceedings.

Rahul Gandhi warned Kumar that he would not be allowed to escape accountability, while the BJP ridiculed the mock Parliament, India Today reported. By November 1, the campaign had moved into a rally, where Mamata criticised Kumar, according to Times of India.

The outcome is a symbolic opposition motion seeking Kumar's removal, not his removal from office. Times now described the vote as taking place in a mock Parliament at Kharge's residence.

The BJP has rejected the exercise. Union Minister Nadda called it "foolish drama" and alleged that the protest was part of a conspiracy to surrender democracy to anarchy and disorder, according to The Hindu.

The supplied coverage does not establish the opposition's allegations or provide a substantive response from Kumar to the six charges. The dispute remains a political confrontation over the conduct of elections and electoral rolls.