RAHUL GANDHI DECLARES INSTITUTIONAL DEADLOCK AS INDIA BLOC HOLDS SYMBOLIC IMPEACHMENT OF ELECTION CHIEF

October 31, 2026

The opposition INDIA bloc on Saturday, October 31, organised a symbolic public impeachment proceeding against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at the official residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi. The event, presided over by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, brought together senior leaders and parliamentarians from several opposition parties to publicly present their allegations against the country's chief electoral authority.

Addressing the gathering, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi criticised what he described as the absence of institutional avenues for the opposition to raise its concerns. Referring to the gathering at Kharge's residence, he said that nearly 250 MPs had assembled in the garden because every institution had been closed to them. Gandhi specifically questioned the functioning of democratic and constitutional institutions, arguing that the opposition was being denied adequate opportunities to raise concerns through established parliamentary and institutional mechanisms.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge presented the motion against Gyanesh Kumar, outlining six allegations concerning the Election Commission's functioning, electoral roll revisions and alleged irregularities in the electoral process. The opposition particularly raised concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming that the exercise had resulted in the wrongful deletion of voters' names and raised questions about the protection of voting rights. The INDIA bloc also demanded the repeal of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, alongside institutional reforms to strengthen the independence of the Election Commission.

The symbolic proceeding followed the opposition's earlier unsuccessful attempts to secure a venue for the programme and the rejection of its parliamentary notices seeking the CEC's removal. It must be distinguished from a legally constituted impeachment or removal proceeding under the Constitution. The event was organised as a public political demonstration to highlight the opposition's allegations and demands for electoral accountability. The programme took place ahead of the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan under the campaign slogan 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao'.