Amid 'vote theft' allegations, INDIA bloc aims to impeach Chief Election Commissioner

New Delhi: Opposition INDIA Bloc leaders convened on Monday to discuss the possibility of moving an impeachment notice against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid escalating protests over voter roll revisions in Bihar and allegations of "vote theft." The meeting took place in the chamber of the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, where several opposition leaders expressed dissatisfaction with Kumar’s press conference on Sunday, criticising him for not addressing their concerns.

Some opposition MPs suggested pushing forward with an impeachment motion, stating the Election Commission has failed to clear doubts surrounding the polling process. Though the idea is still being discussed, opposition parties plan to meet again to finalise their approach.

Congress leader Naseer Hussain said, "We were expecting yesterday that the Election Commission would answer and address all concerns and questions being raised by the public and would clear doubts and anomalies being pointed out by people." He added, "The EC has not given any answers on people declared dead in electoral rolls and is acting as spokesperson of BJP and talking in the same manner as BJP spokesperson. We need a completely impartial CEC and Election Commission in the country." Hussain further stated, "We are ready to use any process in Parliamentary democracy, if need be," when asked about the impeachment move.

CEC Kumar, addressing a press conference in Delhi on Sunday, defended the electoral roll revision, stating it aims to remove shortcomings in voter lists and condemned misinformation, calling allegations of double voting and "vote theft" baseless. He asserted, "All stakeholders are working to make SIR a success in a transparent manner."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the poll body of colluding with the BJP to carry out "vote chori openly" during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and declared he is not scared of EC officials. Gandhi also pointed out disparities in demands for affidavits, saying no such request was made from BJP leader Anurag Thakur despite similar claims. He alleged the SIR process amounts to an attempt "to steal votes of the people of the state."

With inputs from PTI