Opposition Parties Plan To Bring Impeachment Motion Against CEC: Reports

Amid the vote theft allegations levelled against the Election Commission, the INDIA bloc is planning to bring an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in the monsoon session of the parliament, sources told NDTV. The motion was allegedly discussed during a meeting of Opposition MPs on Monday morning. 

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Naseer Hussain told ANI that the party is ready to employ all democratic tools, even an impeachment motion if needed, though no formal discussions have been held so far. "If there is a need, we will use all the weapons of democracy under the rules. We have not had any discussions (about impeachment) as of now, but if needed, we can do anything," Hussain said. 

The process to remove an Election Commissioner is identical to that of removing a Supreme Court judge. The motion needs to be passed by both houses of the parliament with a two-thirds majority and the grounds of removal are "proved misbehaviour or incapacity".

The CEC had earlier refuted all claims of “vote chori” claiming that such “improper words amounts to insulting the constitution. CEC also asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to either furnish a signed affidavit or apologise to the nation for his remarks.

"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." CEC Gyanesh Kumar said while addressing a press conference. 

Rahul Gandhi had alleged vote fraud in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in Karnataka during the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha has now launched the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar.