INDIA Bloc's Mock Impeachment Of Gyanesh Kumar Underway At M Kharge's House, BJP Jabs Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: The Congress-led INDIA bloc began what it called a "public impeachment" of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, reiterating its central allegation that the BJP-led NDA government is "illegitimate" as recent elections have been "stolen". Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge moved the "motion" as Meira Kumar, a former Lok Sabha speaker, presided over the proceedings, modelled on how Parliament actually functions.The seating arrangement on the lawn and Meira Kumar's seat on a stage with a backdrop were modelled on the Central Hall of the old Parliament building, where the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha sat together in the past.Meira Kumar presided over the mock session. Photo: X/@RahulGandhiThe BJP reacted by jabbing Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, saying he was now "sitting in a Parliament of his own choice, unable to win elections in reality". Party spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan described the mock session as an attempt to create confusion and propagate misleading narratives. "This is a mockery, not a mock parliament," he told news agency IANS.At the mock sitting, chief ministers were also present, a day before the INDIA bloc's mega rally planned at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, as part of the series of ongoing protests by the Opposition, the meme page-turned-pressure group Cockroach Janta Party, and others. For the November 1 rally, the other groups have also declared support for the INDIA bloc's agenda, except some like the AAP, which has underlined that it is not part of the bloc as such.READ | Amit Shah's 'Special' Offer To INDIA Bloc Before Gyanesh Kumar's 'Public Impeachment'The proceedings were beamed live on X by Rahul Gandhi and other party handles.LIVE: The Public Impeachment of Gyanesh Kumar | 10 Rajaji Marg, New Delhi https://t.co/5MibXvntMk— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 31, 2026"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," Meira Kumar said, declaring the mock session open. She said this was worrisome as India's is the largest democracy in the world: "Nations from across the world in Asia, Africa, South America look up to us and follow our model of democracy."She explained the proceedings: "Those whose names have been removed from the voters' list will have an opportunity to speak today. Members of the INDIA bloc, MPs from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, representatives of civil society, and citizens whose names have been deleted from the electoral rolls will express their views."Six 'Charges' ListedKharge then stood up and moved the symbolic motion, saying, "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 further alleged, "To retain its hold on power, the ruling establishment has resorted to every possible conspiracy. 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."As a formal statement for the motion, he said, "The members of the INDIA alliance representing over 60 per cent of the population of India and citizens assembled in New Delhi on October 31, 2026, affirming their foremost commitment to universal adult franchise, as enshrined in Article 326 of the Constitution of India, that is under great threat by actions of the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr Gyanesh Kumar, hereby resolve that he be impeached on the following charges," listing six "charges": "Conspired to steal elections, deleted 13.2 crore voters, rewrote Form 6 (for voter enrolment) without Parliament approval, seized the voter rolls through ECINET (online system), shut out the other two commissioners, and acted at the behest of PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah."The Congress had planned to hold a "mock parliament" originally, which it later re-termed "public impeachment". For an actual impeachment, the INDIA bloc gave notices that were rejected, and it does not have the numbers for it anyway. As for the mock version, the party had to postpone the event, originally scheduled for Friday, by a day because of rain in Delhi.Amit Shah's OfferEarlier, from the government's side, Home Minister Amit Shah had on Friday challenged Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, who leads the largest Opposition group in the Lok Sabha after the Congress, to debate the issue of electoral rolls in a special session of Parliament."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," Shah said at the Uttar Pradesh BJP meeting in Lucknow. "But they have no intention of speaking there. They refuse to let Parliament function; instead, they just create a ruckus," he added, speaking of the Opposition at large.When SIR Reached ParliamentThe INDIA bloc has been demanding Gyanesh Kumar's resignation, suspension of the SIR and restoration of pre-SIR electoral rolls. The exercise has deleted about 13 crore names from the rolls, which is about 14 per cent of the pre-SIR numbers.The SIR has come up in and stalled Parliament before. In the 2025 monsoon session, Parliament transacted little business apart from the debates on Operation Sindoor, with repeated adjournments mostly over the SIR in Bihar. In the winter session, the government cited the Election Commission's status as an independent constitutional body and agreed to a debate on electoral reforms rather than on the SIR.During that debate on December 10, 2025, Rahul Gandhi challenged Shah to debate his three "vote chori" press conferences. Shah replied that he would decide the order of his own speech, and Opposition MPs later walked out. In April, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan rejected Opposition notices to move a motion for Gyanesh Kumar's removal.