Who Is Gyanesh Kumar, and Why Has The Opposition Moved An Impeachment Motion To Remove The Chief Election Commissioner?

On Friday, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) moved an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in both Houses of Parliament. There were two distinct notices in the House of Lok Sabha and House of Rajya Sabha and at least 120 Lok Sabha members and 60 Rajya Sabha members have signed the motion, according to news agency PTI.

Who Is Gyanesh Kumar?

The motion aims to remove the CEC on the basis of claims of partisan and discriminatory behavior in office, intentional interference with the investigation of electoral frauds, and massive disenfranchisement of voters. The opposition parties have stated that Kumar is partial to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) especially regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls that are currently being conducted which they argue was intended to favor the saffron party.

The TMC, headed by Mamata Banerjee, has declared that MPs of Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, and NCP have signed the motion, which is an unprecedented opposition unity show. Kalyan Banerjee and Saugata Roy, Trinamool MPs confirmed that over 100 lawmakers are in the support of the move to oust Kumar. The accusations pay a lot of attention to the SIR exercise in West Bengal, the TMC accuses that the real people are being erased, which decreases the impartiality of the electoral process. The move by the opposition is in the face of increasing tensions between the Election Commission and other state governments on voter roll changes and election preparedness.

Why Has The Opposition Moved An Impeachment Motion To Remove The Chief Election Commissioner?

The impeachment of CEC is provided in the same way as the impeachment of the Supreme Court judge in accordance with Article 324(5) of the Constitution. At least 100 members of the Lok Sabha or 50 members of the Rajya Sabha should sign a notice to be taken into consideration. After being submitted, the Speaker or Chairman can either allow or reject the motion after consulting the authorities concerned, and examining the evidence, as per the Judges Enquiry Act. The process is strict and is not common and involves proof of misbehavior or incapacity to remove someone. The move spearheaded by the TMC is the first major step towards the opposition challenging the Election Commission, and raises questions on how the electoral administration will be fair in the coming state and national elections.

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