INDIA bloc holds mock public impeachment of Gyanesh Kumar as BJP jabs Rahul Gandhi

Kharge moved the symbolic motion, while former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings, which were organised along the lines of a parliamentary session.

Opposition leaders reiterated their allegations that the BJP-led NDA government was illegitimate and that recent elections had been “stolen”.

The event featured a seating arrangement on the lawn designed to resemble the Central Hall of the old Parliament building, where members of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha once assembled.

Meira Kumar presided from a raised platform against a backdrop modelled on the parliamentary setting.

The BJP dismissed the exercise, taking aim at Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Party spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan said Gandhi was now “sitting in a Parliament of his own choice, unable to win elections in reality”.

“This is a mockery, not a mock parliament,” Paswan told the media, describing the event as an attempt to create confusion and spread misleading narratives.

The proceedings were livestreamed on X through Rahul Gandhi’s account and other party handles.

Meira Kumar opens symbolic proceedings

Chief ministers and other INDIA bloc leaders attended the event, held a day before the Opposition’s planned rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1.

The gathering forms part of a wider series of protests by Opposition parties and other groups against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.

The report also identifies the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a group that emerged from a meme page and subsequently became a pressure group, among those supporting the campaign.

However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has maintained that it is not formally part of the INDIA bloc.

Declaring the mock proceedings open, Meira Kumar said the Opposition had raised concerns over alleged improper deletion of voters’ names and a lack of transparency in the responses to questions about the electoral process.

“You have seen that people's votes are being removed improperly. Whenever questions are raised, there is no transparency in the responses. That is why an 'impeachment motion' has been brought to remove Gyanesh Kumar from his position,” she said.

She described the issue as particularly serious given India’s position as the world’s largest democracy.

“Nations from across the world in Asia, Africa, South America look up to us and follow our model of democracy,” she said.

Meira Kumar added that people whose names had allegedly been removed from electoral rolls would be given an opportunity to speak.

INDIA bloc MPs from both Houses of Parliament, civil society representatives and affected citizens were also expected to present their views.

Kharge lists 6 allegations against CEC

Kharge formally moved the symbolic motion, arguing that the right to vote was facing a serious threat.

“The right to vote is the most fundamental thing in a democracy. And it is under serious threat today. This is a fight to save democracy. The Chief Election Commissioner is acting on the direct instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah,” he alleged.

The Congress president accused the ruling establishment of using various methods to retain power, including defections, the breaking up of political parties, the toppling of elected governments and the electoral bonds scheme.

“There's been theft of MPs, breaking of political parties, toppling and stealing of governments, the electoral bond scheme, and the use of agencies like the ED and CBI. And now, there is vote theft,” Kharge said.

The formal statement accompanying the symbolic motion invoked Article 326 of the Constitution, which provides for elections based on adult suffrage.

It said members of the INDIA alliance, claiming to represent more than 60 percent of India’s population, along with citizens assembled in New Delhi on October 31, 2026, had resolved to seek Kumar’s impeachment over six allegations.

These included conspiring to manipulate elections, deleting 13.2 crore voters from electoral rolls, changing Form 6—the application used for voter enrolment—without parliamentary approval, taking control of voter rolls through the ECINET online system, excluding the other two Election Commissioners from decision-making and acting at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

These were allegations listed by the Opposition in its symbolic motion and were not findings established through the proceedings.

Mock parliament after formal removal motion rejected

The Congress had initially planned to organise a “mock Parliament” but later renamed the event a “public impeachment”.

The symbolic exercise followed the rejection of formal notices submitted by Opposition MPs seeking Kumar’s removal.

The INDIA bloc does not have the numbers required to carry an actual removal motion through Parliament.

The event was originally scheduled for Friday but was postponed by a day because of rain in Delhi.

The Opposition has been demanding Kumar’s resignation, suspension of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and restoration of electoral rolls as they stood before the revision.

According to the figures cited by the INDIA bloc, the SIR exercise has resulted in the deletion of approximately 13 crore names, representing around 14 percent of the pre-revision voter numbers.

Amit Shah challenges opposition to debate in parliament

The symbolic proceedings came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah challenged Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to discuss the electoral roll controversy in a special session of Parliament.

Speaking at a Uttar Pradesh BJP meeting in Lucknow on Friday, Shah said the BJP was prepared to debate the issue in Parliament and had nothing to conceal.

“The Bharatiya Janata Party is fully prepared to discuss this in Parliament. We have nothing to hide. Let us convene a special session of Parliament,” he said.

Shah accused the Opposition of avoiding parliamentary debate and disrupting proceedings instead.

“But they have no intention of speaking there. They refuse to let Parliament function; instead, they just create a ruckus,” he added.

SIR dispute repeatedly disrupted Parliament

The controversy surrounding the SIR exercise has previously led to repeated disruptions in Parliament.

During the 2025 monsoon session, parliamentary business was frequently interrupted, with the SIR exercise in Bihar becoming a major point of confrontation between the government and Opposition.

Apart from discussions on Operation Sindoor, the session saw limited legislative business.

In the winter session, the government argued that the Election Commission was an independent constitutional body and agreed to a discussion on electoral reforms rather than a debate specifically focused on the SIR.

During the discussion on December 10, 2025, Rahul Gandhi challenged Shah to respond to three press conferences in which he had raised allegations of “vote chori”.

Shah replied that he would decide the sequence of his speeches.

Opposition MPs subsequently staged a walkout.

In April 2026, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan rejected Opposition notices seeking a motion for the removal of Gyanesh Kumar.