File photo: CEC Gyanesh Kumar
New Delhi: Opposition parties on Wednesday expressed support for an All India Party proposal Trinamool Congress An impeachment motion has been filed against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging irregularities in the Special Intensified Revision (SIR) of the West Bengal electoral roll.The proposal was announced by Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy, who said the party would seek Kumar’s removal under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, which governs the powers and functioning of the Election Commission.“We will file an impeachment motion against the Central Election Commission under Article 324 of the Constitution. We have many complaints about his functioning,” Roy said, according to news agency IANS.He also claimed that a large number of voters were scrutinized during the electoral roll revision process.“There are 5.9 million voters on the verdict list, which is a huge number. Mamata Banerjee is right… we will move it to the House of Commons in a few days,” Roy said, according to news agency ANI.
Congress backs proposal, worries about electoral rolls
The Indian National Congress party welcomed the Trinamool Congress’ move, saying it had been raising concerns about alleged irregularities in the electoral roll for some time.Congress leader Udit Raj said the party would support the motion.“This is a welcome step. We have been debating on this issue for some time,” he told IANS.He added that Congress had earlier expressed concerns about alleged ballot erasure and voter turnout irregularities during elections in several states.Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat also criticized the electoral roll revision exercise.“The manner in which Bihar and West Bengal have conducted special enhanced revisions raises questions,” Bhagat said, claiming that such exercises were sometimes used as a political tool.Independent MP from Purnia Pappu Yadav also supported the demand for action against the Chief Election Commissioner.“At present, it appears that the Electoral Commission is no longer acting independently. There is a need to file an impeachment motion against the Chief Electoral Commissioner,” he said.The Samajwadi Party also supported the proposal, with MP Dharmendra Yadav saying the party would stand with the Trinamool Congress in the impeachment drive.
BJP criticizes opposition move
The BJP leader criticized the opposition proposal, saying the party should focus on the electoral contest and not target the Election Commission.Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the opposition should invest its energy in elections instead of fighting pollsters.Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said the opposition lacked the necessary numbers to move such a motion, noting that the matter was currently under judicial review.“First, let them raise it – now they don’t have the numbers. The most important thing is that they challenge it to the Electoral Commission while the matter is still pending. The Supreme Court is monitoring the entire issue,” he said.BJP MP Anurag Thakur also accused the Congress party of undermining constitutional institutions in the past.“Congress used to be able to appoint almost anyone as election commissioner, thus weakening the Election Commission’s capabilities,” Thakur was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
CEC removal process
Opposition lawmakers are expected to start collecting signatures from members of both houses of parliament to formally introduce the motion.According to parliamentary rules, the notice to remove the Chief Election Commissioner requires the signatures of at least 100 Lok Sabha members and 50 members of the House of Commons.The procedure for removing a CEC is similar to that for removing a Supreme Court or High Court judge and requires proof of misconduct or incapacity. According to parliamentary rules, the motion must be passed by a special majority in parliament.
