Congress Chief Lists Six Charges Against CEC as INDIA Bloc Holds Public Impeachment

UPDATE - follow-up to Rahul Gandhi claims 2024 Lok Sabha elections 'illegal' over voter deletions | LIVE: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge presented six specific charges against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar during a symbolic public impeachment event held on Saturday at his New Delhi residence on Rajaji Marg. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar chaired the proceedings.

Charges and Allegations

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused CEC Gyanesh Kumar of facilitating vote theft, deleting 13.2 to 13.3 crore voter names, altering Form 6 without parliamentary oversight, seizing electoral rolls through ECINET, sidelining the other two Election Commissioners, and acting on instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi stated that the deleted voter count far exceeded the 3% vote margin between the Opposition and the BJP-led alliance, calling the deletions treason and warning of legal action. TMC MP Mahua Moitra claimed that 71% of the deleted voters in West Bengal were Muslims and 51% were women. Additional speakers including Kapil Sibal, Shashi Tharoor, Renuka Chowdhury, Tejashwi Yadav, Saugata Roy, and student activist Neha Bora also addressed the gathering.

Political Reactions

The BJP strongly condemned the event, with MP Sambit Patra calling it a mockery of democratic institutions and labelling Rahul Gandhi a mock Prime Minister. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised the Congress and alleged that vote theft originated under Jawaharlal Nehru, while defending the voter registration process and the SIR rules. Meanwhile, parties prepared for a major INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, backed by groups like the Cockroach Janta Party and attended by leaders such as Mamata Banerjee. Delhi Police announced traffic restrictions across central areas from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday for the rally.

Context

The public impeachment event and upcoming rally reflect deep political friction between the ruling coalition and opposition parties over election administration and electoral rolls. Such symbolic protests are frequently used by political fronts to highlight grievances when formal parliamentary debates or institutional remedies are blocked or deadlocked.