Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is facing a fresh removal bid, with Opposition parties preparing notices in both Houses of Parliament amid a dispute over the Election Commission's handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Congress has reached out to other Opposition parties to build support for the motion, with sources saying the notices are expected to be submitted within the next two weeks. A draft is reportedly being prepared with legal experts.
The move follows a report by The Indian Express that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months on issues linked to electoral-roll revisions, voter additions and deletions, database access and other decisions related to the SIR exercise.
The Election Commission has rejected suggestions that the objections reflected a formal split within the three-member panel. The poll body said questions and requests for clarification can arise during internal deliberations and maintained that decisions, including those concerning SIR, were taken unanimously.
The proposed fresh motion comes after an earlier notice submitted by 73 Opposition MPs on April 24 seeking Kumar's removal. That notice is pending in the Rajya Sabha, according to The New Indian Express.
The Opposition's latest move is centred on the reported objections over the SIR process and broader concerns it has raised about the functioning of the Election Commission. The proposed notices are expected to seek Kumar's removal from the post of CEC.
Separately, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has given Kumar 48 hours to resign and threatened a nationwide agitation if he does not step down. CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has alleged irregularities in electoral-roll revisions, claims that have not been independently established.
The Election Commission has maintained that the SIR exercise is aimed at verifying electoral rolls and identifying ineligible entries, while the Opposition has questioned the process and demanded greater scrutiny.
