The Opposition is weighing the option of initiating impeachment proceedings against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of vote theft, according to reports. Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi told media outlets, “We will be taking a decision very soon.”
But the path ahead is steep — removing the CEC would require a two-thirds majority in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, a number the Opposition does not currently command.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar strongly countered allegations of electoral fraud made by the Congress and its leader Rahul Gandhi, defending the integrity of India’s voting process. Without naming Gandhi, Kumar said the “PPT presentation” presented by the Congress MP offered a “wrong analysis” of voter data. He challenged the Leader of Opposition to either submit an affidavit supporting his claims within seven days or “apologise to the nation.”
At his August 7 press conference, Rahul Gandhi had alleged irregularities including duplicate entries, voters listed with house number zero, and dozens of voters registered to the same address.
Kumar rubbished these claims. He gave examples from the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka’s Bangalore Central constituency — an area where the Congress had in fact won the 2023 state elections.
Kumar emphasised that electoral rolls and the act of voting are separate processes governed by different laws and functionaries. He rejected Gandhi’s assertion that duplicate names amounted to “vote chori.” “When a voter goes to vote and presses the button, he can press it only once — vote theft cannot happen,” he was quoted as saying.
Addressing specific claims, the Election Commission clarified that the allegations of duplicate voting had been mischaracterised. “It is one thing to have a voter’s name in more than one booth, and quite another to actually cast votes at two places,” Kumar explained, adding that voting twice is a criminal offence.
“When asked for proof, no answer was given. The Election Commission wants to make it clear that it fearlessly stood, stands and will stand like a rock with all the voters of all religions and all sections of society,” he told a section of the media.
He also addressed Opposition claims — raised by the Congress and its ally RJD — that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar was being rushed. He countered that the Representation of People Act mandates rectification of voter rolls before every election. The outreach to over seven crore voters in Bihar began on June 24 and was largely completed by July 20. Citing precedent, Kumar noted that the last SIR in Bihar in 2003 was also conducted during the monsoon, from July 14 to August 14.
Kumar clarified that no complaints will be accepted on the draft list after September 1. Appealing to all 12 political parties involved in the revision through their booth-level agents (BLAs), he urged them to raise objections or flag any errors before that date.
He also addressed claims about 22 lakh voter deaths over a six-month period, saying they were misleading. These, he said, were unreported deaths accumulated over nearly 20 years.
“One needs to have the stomach to listen to and understand the truth,” Kumar reportedly said, while delivering a pointed rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations. Stressing that the SIR was aimed precisely at ensuring cleaner electoral rolls, he reiterated the Commission’s commitment to protecting the sanctity of the voting process in the world’s largest democracy.
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