The opposition INDIA bloc has decided to pause its plans to move a fresh impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, shifting its focus instead to a nationwide protest campaign against alleged electoral malpractices.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the alliance in New Delhi on Wednesday, where leaders agreed that ground-level mobilization would be more effective than pursuing a parliamentary route that lacks the numbers to succeed.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who chaired the meeting, announced a series of protest programs, including ‘Save Democracy’ marches at the district level from October 2 to October 8.
Opposition MPs will also march to the Election Commission headquarters on October 6, and alliance leaders plan to seek an appointment with President Droupadi Murmu in the second week of October.
Kharge said five major rallies would be held in October and November, including a large rally in Delhi on November 1.
Sources said the impeachment issue did not figure prominently in the formal discussions. The consensus was that the opposition should concentrate on building a public case against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the CEC.
Senior advocate and independent MP Kapil Sibal, who attended the meeting, said a fresh impeachment notice would not add anything to the campaign given the current parliamentary arithmetic.
Sibal noted that a second impeachment notice is already pending in the Rajya Sabha after the first was rejected by the presiding officers of both Houses.
Sibal also pointed out that the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, provides legal immunity to the CEC. He suggested the opposition file a joint petition in the Supreme Court challenging the law.
He proposed that FIRs be filed against officials who do not enjoy legal immunity, including Seema Khanna, the Election Commission official heading its IT Division.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee demanded Khanna’s arrest, a demand echoed by some other leaders, according to sources.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, stressed the need for collective action, telling the meeting that all opposition parties were affected by the issues being raised.
Rahul said the opposition would not remain silent on the issue. He described opposition leaders as collective defenders of India’s Constitution.
Mamata Banerjee called for the resignations of both Prime Minister Modi and CEC Gyanesh Kumar. She referred to Kumar as ‘Vanish Kumar’ and said the protest would continue until he resigns.
She said she had spoken to BJD leader Naveen Patnaik about bringing parties outside the INDIA bloc into a broader campaign on electoral issues.
CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby said the Left wanted to turn the agitation into a sweeping movement involving civil society, artists, writers, and cultural personalities.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav suggested forming a subcommittee for better coordination and communication within the alliance.
The protest campaign follows months of opposition attacks over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Opposition parties allege that the exercise has led to the deletion of crores of eligible voters.
Citing media reports, opposition leaders have pointed out that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded official objections at least 14 times over 10 months regarding SIR-related decisions taken by Kumar.
The Telangana Congress has claimed that more than 13 crore names were deleted from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and union territories during the exercise.
The Election Commission has rejected the opposition’s criticism. Government and poll panel sources have defended the SIR as a lawful exercise aimed at cleaning the voters’ list by identifying dead, duplicate, fake, and shifted voters.
The ECI has maintained that the reported objections were part of normal deliberations within a multi-member body and that decisions relating to SIR were unanimous.
BJP leaders have accused the opposition of attacking constitutional institutions after electoral setbacks.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan criticized the opposition’s allegations, saying, ‘If they win, democracy zindabad; if they lose, Election Commission murdabad.’
Separately, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha staged a protest outside Lok Bhavan in Ranchi on Wednesday, demanding the CEC’s dismissal. JMM general secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey alleged that the two other Election Commissioners had formally objected 14 times to Kumar’s decisions.
JMM Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji said genuine voters were being deprived of their voting rights under the SIR exercise.
Some protesters arrived on camels and carried bows and arrows along with JMM flags.
Civil society groups and student leaders have also announced a proposed protest at Jantar Mantar on October 2, though Delhi Police had not granted permission as of Wednesday.
The group, which includes AISA president Neha Bora, advocate Prashant Bhushan, and RJD MP Manoj Jha, called for action against the CEC.
The ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ has announced a ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on October 2 after permission for its original protest venue was denied.
The INDIA bloc’s next phase of protests is set to begin on October 2, with district-level marches across the country.
