NEW DELHI — Raising the stakes in its ongoing confrontation with the central government, the INDIA bloc transformed the lawn of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s capital residence into a mock legislative chamber on Saturday to stage a “public impeachment” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Chaired by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, the symbolic session brought together senior alliance figures, Chief Ministers, and civil society delegates. Designed to mirror a joint sitting in Parliament’s historic Central Hall, the gathering served as an aggressive prelude to the alliance’s major political rally at Ramlila Maidan.
Key Allegations and Charges
Opening the proceedings, Mallikarjun Kharge formally presented a six-part charge sheet against the election chief, claiming that democratic norms were being systematically dismantled:
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Mass Electoral Roll Deletions: Alleging the improper removal of 13.2 crore voters under the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) initiative, which the Opposition claims wiped out nearly 14 percent of the nation’s electorate.
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Procedural Violations: Accusing the commission of altering Form 6 voter enrolment rules without parliamentary oversight and centralizing voter registry management through the ECINET platform.
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Institutional Compromise: Claiming that the Chief Election Commissioner sidelined fellow election commissioners while acting under direct influence from executive leadership.
Government Counter-Attack and Debate Challenge
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sharply dismissed the display, with party spokespersons characterizing the proceedings as a political spectacle meant to mislead the public rather than engage in legitimate governance.
The mock session comes on the heels of a direct challenge from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who offered to hold an official special session of Parliament to debate the SIR process and general electoral roll integrity. Shah accused the Opposition of avoiding formal legislative debate in favor of street politics, asserting that the government remains fully prepared to address any questions regarding election administration within Parliament.
