Opposition parties have repeatedly accused the poll panel of favouring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
KRC TIMES National Bureau
New Delhi: A group of Opposition Members of Parliament has moved to initiate proceedings for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, with more than the required number of lawmakers signing a notice, sources said.
According to sources, 130 MPs from the Lok Sabha and 63 MPs from the Rajya Sabha have signed the notice seeking the removal of the CEC. The notice is expected to be submitted in at least one House of Parliament on Friday, though it is not yet clear whether it will be placed in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha.
An Opposition leader said lawmakers showed “great enthusiasm” in signing the notice, with several MPs continuing to add their signatures even after the required numbers had already been reached.
Under parliamentary rules, a minimum of 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha or 50 MPs in the Rajya Sabha must sign a notice to initiate proceedings for the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Sources said the notice has been signed by MPs belonging to parties of the INDIA Bloc. Members of the Aam Aadmi Party, which is no longer formally part of the bloc, have also signed the document. If submitted, it would mark the first time a notice has been brought seeking the removal of a Chief Election Commissioner.
A senior source said the notice lists seven charges against Kumar, including allegations of “partisan and discriminatory conduct in office,” “deliberate obstruction of investigation into electoral fraud,” and “mass disenfranchisement.”
Opposition parties have repeatedly accused the poll panel of favouring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The criticism has intensified over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which Opposition leaders claim could benefit the party at the Centre.
Concerns have also been raised regarding the revision exercise in West Bengal. Mamata Banerjee, chief of the All India Trinamool Congress, has alleged that genuine voters are being removed from the electoral rolls.
Under the Constitution, the process for removing the Chief Election Commissioner is similar to that for the removal of a judge of the Supreme Court or a High Court. An impeachment can be carried out only on grounds of proven misbehaviour or incapacity.
A motion for removal may be introduced in either House of Parliament and must be passed by a special majority, meaning a majority of the total membership of the House and a two-thirds majority of members present and voting.
