Opposition parties plan to bring impeachment motion against CEC amid allegations of 'vote theft'

Opposition parties are likely to bring an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in Parliament's monsoon session due to allegations of "vote theft." Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain said the party is ready to use all democratic tools, including impeachment, if needed. CEC Gyanesh Kumar refuted the allegations and asked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to either furnish a signed affidavit or apologize for his remarks.

Opposition parties are likely to bring an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) in Parliament's monsoon session due to allegations of "vote theft." Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain stated that the party is prepared to use all democratic tools, including impeachment, if necessary. The move comes after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the poll body of manipulating voter data to favor the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in recent elections.

The decision to bring an impeachment motion was taken days after Gandhi alleged "vote chori" (vote theft) in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Haryana. He claimed that 1,00,250 "stolen" votes in Mahadevapura assembly segment of Bangalore Central enabled the BJP’s Lok Sabha victory, accusing the Election Commission of India (ECI) of "colluding" with the ruling party [1].

The CEC, Gyanesh Kumar, dismissed Gandhi's claims as "baseless" and "an insult to the Constitution." He demanded that Gandhi either submit a signed affidavit substantiating his charges or apologize to the nation. Kumar stated that an affidavit would have to be given or an apology made within seven days, failing which the allegations would be considered baseless [1].

The Opposition has been quick to rally behind Gandhi. Congress leader Pawan Khera accused the CEC of sounding like a BJP functionary rather than an independent constitutional authority. He questioned the CEC's response to the one lakh voters exposed in Mahadevapura [1]. RJD leader Manoj Jha and JMM MP Mahua Maji also accused the Commission of ducking "burning questions" and asked the poll body to clarify the authenticity of documents presented by Gandhi [1].

Gandhi presented what he claimed was Congress’ research on Mahadevapura voters, pointing to duplicate names, invalid addresses, and instances of bulk registrations. He also alleged that the Commission was "destroying evidence" by restricting CCTV and webcasting footage of polling booths to just 45 days. The CEC, however, said sharing such footage would violate voter privacy [1].

The CEC further stated that preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar were being carried out transparently, with the "credibility of seven crore voters" standing behind the process. The CEC also rejected charges of inflated voter lists in Maharashtra, saying no objections were raised during the draft roll stage and no proof had been submitted even eight months after the election [1].

The CEC's response was echoed by the Election Commission of India, which hit back at Gandhi and other opposition leaders, rejecting their allegations of vote theft and concerns related to SIR in Bihar as "misleading." The CEC asserted that all stakeholders are working to make the Bihar SIR a success in a transparent manner. The CEC also emphasized that the machine-readable voter list is prohibited due to privacy concerns, as decided by the Supreme Court in 2019 [2].

The Opposition has stepped up its attack against the poll roll revision in Bihar and on the allegations of ‘vote chori’ raised by Congress. The CEC has asked Rahul Gandhi to either give a declaration under oath within seven days on his allegations of irregularities in the voter list. If no declaration under oath is given within 7 days, the claims will be considered baseless and invalid [2].

The Samajwadi Party (SP) chief, Akhilesh Yadav, has also accused the Election Commission of failing to act against large-scale irregularities, including in the Uttar Pradesh elections. He alleged that officials colluded with the ruling BJP to "loot votes" [3].

The impeachment motion against the CEC, if successful, would require a motion of impeachment by Parliament under Article 324(5) of the Constitution. This would be a significant step in the ongoing political and legal battle over allegations of voter fraud and manipulation.

References:
[1] https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/opposition-to-bring-impeachment-notice-against-poll-panel-chief-amid-vote-fraud-row-101755494380643.html
[2] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/disrespect-to-constitution-ec-hits-back-at-rahul-gandhis-vote-theft-allegations-says-bihar-sir-transparent/articleshow/123345117.cms
[3] https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/sp-chief-akhilesh-slams-election-commission-accuses-officials-of-vote-loot-enn25081101956