New Delhi: Opposition INDIA Bloc leaders met here on Monday to consider moving an impeachment notice against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as it stepped up its protests over voter roll revision in Bihar and alleged “vote theft.”
Several Opposition leaders met in the chamber of the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, and held discussions on how the CEC on Sunday addressed a press conference without answering any of the questions raised by them, sources said.
Some opposition MPs felt that this fight had to be taken forward and suggested an impeachment motion against the CEC, the sources said.
Under Article 324(5) of the Constitution, the CEC can only be removed in the same manner as a Supreme Court judge, requiring a motion of impeachment by Parliament.
Responding to the charges, CEC Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday dismissed Gandhi’s claims as “baseless” and “an insult to the Constitution.” At a press conference in Delhi, he demanded that Gandhi either submit a signed affidavit substantiating his charges or apologise to the nation.
“An affidavit will have to be given or an apology should be made to the country. Teesra koi vikalp nahi (There is no third option). If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless,” Kumar said.
Gandhi, however, hit back, alleging selective targeting. “The Election Commission asks for an affidavit from me. But when Anurag Thakur (BJP MP) says the same thing that I am saying, it does not ask for an affidavit from him,” he said.
The Opposition was quick to rally behind Gandhi. Congress leader Pawan Khera said the CEC’s remarks sounded like those of a BJP functionary rather than an independent constitutional authority.
“It seemed like the BJP was speaking today. Did he give any response about the one lakh voters we exposed in Mahadevapura?” Khera asked.
RJD leader Manoj Jha accused the Commission of ducking “burning questions,” while JMM MP Mahua Maji asked the poll body to clarify the authenticity of documents presented by Gandhi in his press conference.
At his August 7 briefing, Rahul Gandhi had presented what he claimed was Congress’s research on Mahadevapura voters – pointing to duplicate names, invalid addresses, and instances of bulk registrations, including “80 voters at one address.” He also alleged that the Commission was “destroying evidence” by restricting CCTV and webcasting footage of polling booths to just 45 days.
The CEC, however, said sharing such footage would violate voter privacy. “Should the Election Commission share CCTV videos of any voter, including their mothers, daughters-in-law, or daughters?” Kumar asked, insisting that only those listed on the rolls had voted.
Kumar also rejected charges of inflated voter lists in Maharashtra, saying no objections were raised during the draft roll stage and no proof had been submitted even eight months after the election.
“If you keep saying anything 10 times, 20 times, it does not become true. The sun rises only in the east. It does not rise in the west just because someone says so,” Kumar remarked, stressing that the ECI “fearlessly stands with all voters without discrimination.”
The CEC further said that preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar were being carried out transparently, with the “credibility of seven crore voters” standing behind the process.
