Opposition INDIA bloc leaders held a symbolic “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in New Delhi on October 31, 2026. Kharge levelled six charges against Kumar, alleging electoral irregularities, including the handling of electoral-roll revisions and the alleged deletion of eligible voters.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings, which formed part of the Opposition’s ‘Vote Chori’ campaign. The event preceded the bloc’s planned November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has maintained that its decisions on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls were unanimous and denied amending statutory Form 6. The symbolic proceedings have no legal authority to remove the CEC.
Six Alleged Charges
The allegations against Kumar concern six areas: undermining the Election Commission’s collective functioning; allegedly making unauthorised changes to Form 6, used to register new voters; centralising electoral-roll administration through ECINET; allegedly causing large-scale voter disenfranchisement through SIR; compromising the Commission’s independence and impartiality; and repeatedly breaching statutory duties. These allegations were detailed in a charge sheet released by a delegation of former civil servants and activists earlier in October.
During Saturday’s proceedings, Kharge also accused Kumar of facilitating alleged electoral malpractice and questioned the Commission’s handling of voter lists. The allegations have not been established as findings of wrongdoing, and Kumar’s removal would require the constitutionally prescribed process.
ECI Rejects Allegations
The controversy centres on the SIR exercise, which the Election Commission says is intended to identify and remove ineligible, duplicate and incorrect entries from electoral rolls. Reports said 13.39 crore electors were categorised as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate during the revision exercise; this does not mean all these individuals were confirmed to be ineligible voters. In a counter-affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, the ECI maintained that its three orders concerning SIR were unanimous.
It also denied amending statutory Form 6, stating that the additional declaration introduced for SIR was a separate document. The Opposition has continued to question the transparency and legality of the exercise. Earlier in April, removal motions submitted by Opposition MPs in both Houses of Parliament were rejected by the respective presiding authorities. Under Article 324(5) of the Constitution, the CEC can be removed only through a process equivalent to that applicable to a Supreme Court judge, on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. The October 31 programme was a symbolic political exercise, not a formal constitutional removal proceeding.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
An independent Election Commission is essential to public confidence in democracy, and concerns about voter registration and electoral transparency deserve scrutiny. However, allegations against constitutional authorities must be assessed through evidence, due process and established legal mechanisms rather than treated as proven facts.
The Election Commission should communicate its decisions transparently, while political parties should ensure that their criticism is evidence-based and constructive. Protecting every eligible citizen’s right to vote must remain central to the debate. How can India strengthen electoral transparency while ensuring that political disagreements do not undermine public trust in democratic institutions?
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𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐌𝐫. 𝐆𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐊𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐫, 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐗 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐇𝐈𝐌 👇 1️⃣ Conspired to Steal Elections 2️⃣ Deleted 13.2 Crore Voters 3️⃣ Rewrote Form 6 Without Parliamentary Oversight or Knowledge 4️⃣ Seized the Electoral Rolls Through ECINET 5️⃣ Shut Out the Other Two Commissioners 6️⃣ Acted at the Behest of Modi and Shah : Congress President Shri @kharge at the Public Impeachment of CEC Gyanesh Kumar
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 31, 2026
