New Delhi: In a fresh bid to impeach Gyanesh Kumar, opposition parties reportedly submitted a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking a motion for the removal
of the Chief Election Commissioner. The notice was signed by 73 Rajya Sabha MPs, while the requirement is 50 signatures, reported PTI, citing sources. Members of opposition parties such as the Congress, TMC, SP, DMK, Left parties, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), RJD, IUML, and "like-minded" parties have signed the notice, sources told the news agency. According to the report, the fresh charges against the CEC include "continued partisan asymmetry in the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct." The opposition parties have accused the poll panel of not acting on complaints against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "address to the nation" on April 18, ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Referring to concerns raised by various opposition parties, the notice said, "As on the date of this notice, Gyanesh Kumar has issued no show-cause notice, no advisory, and no public response to any of the said complaints." According to sources, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and TMC leader Sagarika Ghose submitted the notice to the Rajya Sabha Secretary General. The move comes days after similar notices submitted by opposition MPs in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were rejected by the respective presiding officers. It was the first time that a notice seeking the removal of a CEC was submitted in Parliament. Ramesh called inaction against Kumar as an "assault on the Constitution." Also Read: CEC Gyanesh Kumar Assures EC Will Conduct Transparent, Violence‑Free Election in West Bengal "73 Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha have just submitted to its Secretary General a fresh Notice of Motion for presenting an Address to the President of India praying for the removal of Shri Gyanesh Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner of India, on the ground of proven misbehaviour constituted by acts and omissions committed on and after 15 March 2026, within the meaning of Article 324 (5) of the Constitution of India read with Article 124(4) thereof, Section 11(2) of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968," the COngress leader wrote in his X post.
“There are now nine specific charges against the CEC that have been documented in great detail and that simply cannot be denied or whitewashed away. His continuation is an assault on the Constitution. It is an absolute disgrace that the man continues to be in office to do the bidding of the PM and HM,” he added.
In its earlier notices, the opposition had accused CEC Kumar of "failure to maintain independence and constitutional fidelity" and of acting under the "thumb of the executive."
However, in almost similar responses, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan had rejected the notices.
(With PTI inputs...)
