INDIA bloc holds public impeachment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi

UPDATE - follow-up to Kharge moves six charges against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, says 'no personal enmity' | LIVE: Opposition parties led by the INDIA bloc have begun their symbolic public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at the New Delhi residence of Rajya Sabha Opposition Leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Rajaji Marg. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is chairing the proceedings, which follow a postponement due to rain in the national capital. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge leveled six specific charges against the Chief Election Commissioner, accusing him of acting against the Constitution, conspiring to steal elections, deleting 13.2 crore voters during the Special Intensive Revision process, and altering Form 6 without parliamentary oversight. Mr. Kharge asserted that the opposition bloc has no personal enmity with the CEC but wants the poll panel to work impartially. Additional charges brought forward at the event allege that the CEC centralised control over voter rolls through software systems, shut out the other two Election Commissioners despite objections on record, and acted at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Lok Sabha Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi announced that opposition parties will hold a march from the Minto Road and Connaught Place junction to Ramlila Maidan on November 1 for a major rally against alleged vote theft and to press for the CEC's resignation. Mr. Gandhi also accused the Home Minister of trying to prevent people from reaching Delhi, a claim the Bharatiya Janata Party rejected as a lie. Ruling party MP Sambit Patra criticized the protest as a mock parliament aimed at vitiating the atmosphere, alleging that the first instance of vote theft occurred under Jawaharlal Nehru, and defended the voter registration process by explaining the ASDD categories and urging citizens to use Form 6. Delhi Police have announced traffic restrictions and diversions across parts of the city from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday for the upcoming Ramlila Maidan gathering.

Context

Special Intensive Revision exercises and electoral roll updates are routine administrative procedures conducted by the Election Commission to clean up voter lists by removing duplicate, deceased, or shifted voters. Protests and political disputes over voter list revisions frequently occur when opposition parties allege that genuine voters have been wrongfully excluded from participating in elections.