Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc will hold a mock Parliament session at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Friday to symbolically seek the impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, after they were denied permission to hold the event at other venues in the national capital.
The session, scheduled for 3.30 pm at 10, Rajaji Marg, will be chaired by former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, will move the resolution against Kumar, while Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will deliver the concluding speech.
The Opposition had initially planned to hold the event at the Ashoka Hotel before proposing Ramlila Maidan as an alternative venue. However, it said permission to organise the symbolic proceedings at both locations was denied, prompting the shift to Kharge’s residence.
The Congress had also considered inviting former Supreme Court judges and jurists to participate in the session. However, a senior party leader said at least five former judges declined the invitation, according to Hindustan Times.
Opposition MPs, party leaders, civil society representatives, student leaders and people who claim their names were deleted from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise are expected to attend the proceedings.
The event is part of the INDIA bloc’s campaign against Kumar and the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. The Opposition has accused the CEC of undermining electoral democracy and has demanded his removal.
The Congress has also alleged that the authorities’ refusal to grant permission for the event was an attempt to restrict its political mobilisation. The ruling establishment has been accused by opposition parties of shielding the CEC, allegations that have been contested amid the ongoing political dispute.
The symbolic proceedings will precede the INDIA bloc’s rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, which is centred on the Opposition’s allegations of “vote chori”. The bloc has been seeking Kumar’s resignation and the repeal of the 2023 law governing the appointment of the CEC and other Election Commissioners.
The symbolic event is not a formal impeachment proceeding. Under the law, the CEC can be removed by Parliament through a process similar to that applicable to a Supreme Court judge.
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