Several reports indicate that the opposition is preparing to initiate an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The move follows allegations by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who accused the Election Commission of “vote chori” (vote theft) in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Haryana, claiming voter data was manipulated to favour the ruling BJP. On August 7, Gandhi alleged that 1,00,250 “stolen” votes in the Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bangalore Central enabled the BJP’s Lok Sabha victory, further accusing the Commission of colluding with the ruling party.
Why Impeachment?
Under Article 324(5) of the Constitution, the CEC can only be removed in the same manner as a Supreme Court judge, requiring a motion of impeachment by Parliament.
How CEC Reacted To Rahul Gandhi
On Sunday, India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, said that highlighting mistakes in the election process or electoral rolls after the prescribed time can only be seen as a political statement. Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, he outlined three scenarios in which errors in electoral rolls can be pointed out and explained the Election Commission’s graded response to each situation.
“The election commission has a graded response on that. If you are a voter in any assembly constituency, and bring the problems within the prescribed time frame, then you need to fill Form 7. If you are a voter in any assembly constituency and bring the mistakes after the prescribed time frame, then it is only considered a political statement. If you point out mistakes after the prescribed time and level allegations of theft on the voters and the election commission, then there is a difference in the grading of these three scenarios,” he told the media.
“An affidavit will have to be given or an apology should be made to the country. Teesra koi vikalp nahi (There is no third option). If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless,” He added.
However, Rahul Gandhi hit back, alleging selective targeting. “The Election Commission asks for an affidavit from me. But when Anurag Thakur (BJP MP) says the same thing that I am saying, it does not ask for an affidavit from him,” he said.
