The Opposition alliance, known as the INDIA bloc, is considering moving an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, seeking his removal from office. The proposal surfaced during a meeting of the Opposition’s parliamentary floor leaders held on Monday, August 18, 2025.
According to multiple media reports, the move comes in response to a recent press conference by the CEC, where he asked Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to either submit an affidavit supporting his allegations of electoral malpractice or apologise to the nation.
The matter was reportedly deliberated in detail at the meeting chaired by Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. Opposition leaders sharply criticised Kumar’s remarks, calling them inappropriate and biased.
On Monday, the INDIA bloc leaders also addressed a press conference condemning the CEC’s response to allegations of “vote chori” (vote theft). Their reaction followed Kumar’s Sunday press briefing, in which he demanded accountability from Gandhi over his repeated claims of electoral fraud.
Earlier this month, Gandhi alleged large-scale voter fraud in the Mahadevapura Assembly segment of Karnataka during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He has since launched the “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in Bihar to highlight alleged irregularities in the electoral process.
Congress deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, accused the Election Commission of “running away” from serious concerns. “The right to vote is the most important right guaranteed by the Constitution. Our democracy survives because of it. The Election Commission is the protector of this right, but it is failing to answer questions raised by political parties and instead avoiding them,” he said.
Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav added that the EC’s demand for an affidavit from Rahul Gandhi was misplaced, pointing out that his party had already submitted affidavits in the past. “In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh polls, when Akhilesh Yadav alleged that names of SP supporters had been deleted from the voter list, we submitted affidavits regarding 18,000 missing voters. No action was taken then,” Yadav remarked.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra went a step further, arguing that if the voter list used in the last general election was flawed, the Lok Sabha itself should be dissolved. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha also lashed out, saying, “Yesterday we were looking for our CEC; instead, we found a new BJP spokesperson.”
Process of Removing a CEC
The procedure for removing the Chief Election Commissioner is the same as that for a Supreme Court judge. An impeachment motion must be passed by a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament, and the grounds for removal are restricted to “proved misbehaviour or incapacity.”
