Escalating its national campaign against the Election Commission of India, opposition parties under the INDIA bloc will convene a mock parliament session at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Friday, October 30, to symbolically “impeach” Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The scripted session at 10 Rajaji Marg will be presided over by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. Mallikarjun Kharge is slated to formally introduce the resolution against Gyanesh Kumar, while Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will deliver the closing address.
Venue Shifted After Administrative Refusals
Opposition leaders stated that the decision to host the session at Kharge’s residential residence was made after authorities denied permission to hold the event at the Ashoka Hotel and subsequently at Ramlila Maidan, where a major opposition rally against alleged electoral roll discrepancies is scheduled for November 1.
The attendee list for the session includes opposition Members of Parliament, senior party leaders, civil society representatives, student leaders, and voters whose names were reportedly omitted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
A senior Congress leader noted that initial plans to invite retired Supreme Court judges were shelved after several jurists declined participation, prompting organizers to restructure the proceedings as a political and public outreach initiative.
Demands for Legal Reform and Removal
The symbolic impeachment forms part of the opposition’s broader campaign against the Election Commission. INDIA bloc leaders recently submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu demanding the CEC’s removal and the repeal of the 2023 legislation that governs the appointment and conditions of service for Election Commissioners.
The opposition accuses the CEC of arbitrary exercise of collective powers during electoral roll updates. Under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution read with statutory provisions, a Chief Election Commissioner can only be removed from office through a parliamentary process akin to the impeachment of a Supreme Court judge.
