Opposition is considering impeachment notice against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over ‘vote chori’ claims. Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said a decision is near, though the Opposition lacks the two-thirds majority needed for removal in Parliament.
The Opposition is reportedly considering moving an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of ‘vote chori’. Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi said a decision will be taken soon. However, removing the CEC requires approval by a two-thirds majority in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, a strength the Opposition currently does not have. This makes the chances of impeachment highly unlikely, even though discussions are reportedly underway within the Opposition camp about taking such a step.
Election Commission refutes Rahul Gandhi’s charges
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday firmly denied the allegations of ‘vote theft’ made by Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Kumar said the claims of bias and irregularities in the voter list were false and ‘an insult’ to the Constitution of India. He warned Rahul Gandhi that he must either submit a signed affidavit with proof of his allegations or apologise to the nation. The CEC made it clear that ‘An affidavit will have to be given or an apology should be made to the country. Teesra koi vikalp nahi hai (There is no third option). If the affidavit is not received within seven days, it means that all these allegations are baseless’.
Kumar also addressed Rahul Gandhi’s charge that the Election Commission was not keeping CCTV and webcasting footage from polling booths beyond 45 days. Gandhi had accused the poll body of ‘destroying evidence’ and protecting electoral malpractice. The CEC, however, defended the existing rule, asking whether it would be right to keep showing footage of voters, including women and family members, without their consent. “Should the Election Commission share the CCTV videos of any voter including their mothers, daughters-in-law, daughters?” he asked. He added that only those whose names were on the voter list cast their vote, and the entire process was conducted as per law.
The CEC also dismissed claims that Maharashtra’s voter list had been manipulated. He explained that objections could have been filed during the draft list stage but none were submitted. “When there was a draft list, why were the claims and objections not submitted on time? When the results came, then it was said that this was wrong. To date, the Chief Election Officer of Maharashtra has not received the name of a single voter with proof. It has been eight months since the elections were held,” Kumar said. He insisted that the credibility of the Commission stood firm, saying, “Neither the Election Commission nor any voter is afraid of such false allegations. The Commission fearlessly stood like a rock with all the voters of all sections and religions, including the poor, rich, elderly, women, and youth, without any discrimination.”
Rahul Gandhi and Opposition hit back at poll body
Rahul Gandhi responded sharply to Gyanesh Kumar’s statement, questioning why the Election Commission was demanding an affidavit only from him and not from BJP leaders who made similar claims. He cited BJP MP Anurag Thakur, who had spoken about irregularities in voting but was not asked for any affidavit. “The Election Commission asks for an affidavit from me. But when Anurag Thakur says the same thing that I am saying, it does not ask for an affidavit from him,” Rahul Gandhi remarked.
Congress leaders also criticised the CEC’s press conference. Senior leader Pawan Khera accused the poll body of acting like a mouthpiece of the BJP. “It seemed like BJP was speaking today. Did he give any response about the 1 lakh voters we exposed in Mahadevapura? We had hoped that today he would answer our questions,” Khera said. He also pointed out the contradiction in the Commission’s approach to voter privacy, asking why privacy was only considered important for 45 days.
Rahul Gandhi’s August 7 press conference had presented Congress’ research on the Mahadevapura Assembly segment in Karnataka, which falls under Bangalore Central parliamentary constituency. Gandhi had alleged that 1,00,250 votes were fraudulent — including duplicate entries, bulk registrations at single addresses, and invalid voter records. He claimed that in one case, 80 voters were registered at a single address. Gandhi accused the Election Commission of turning a blind eye to these irregularities and failing to act. His charge that CCTV footage from polling stations was deleted after 45 days without proper verification further intensified the debate.
The issue quickly gained momentum among other opposition parties. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha said that the CEC had not addressed any of the real questions raised by Gandhi. “This institution (Election Commission) was born from the Constitution, it is not the Constitution. I would request them (Gyanesh Kumar) to recall Sukumar Sen (former CEC). In today’s press conference, no burning question was answered. The Constitution cannot be torn to shreds in the name of the Constitution,” Jha said. Similarly, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Mahua Maji demanded that the Election Commission clarify whether the documents Rahul Gandhi presented as evidence were authentic. She also reminded that the Supreme Court had asked the Commission to explain voter roll changes in Bihar, where 65 lakh names were allegedly excluded or deleted from the draft electoral roll.
Bihar’s voter list revision and wider political fallout
The controversy comes at a sensitive time when the Election Commission is conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. Opposition parties have accused the Commission of mismanagement and bias, while the CEC has assured that the revision process will be “a huge success.” Kumar said, “The truth is that step by step all the stakeholders are committed, trying and working hard to make the SIR of Bihar a complete success. When more than seven crore voters of Bihar are standing with the Election Commission, then neither can any question mark be raised on the credibility of the Election Commission nor on the credibility of the voters.”
Kumar also clarified voting-related concerns raised in the past, such as sudden spikes in turnout during the last hour of polling. He explained that if polling goes on for 10 hours, the average turnout per hour would be about 10 percent. “It was also asked how so much voting happened in the last one hour? The Election Commission had replied that if there is voting for 10 hours, then the average is 10 per cent every hour. If you keep saying anything 10 times, 20 times, it does not become true. The sun rises only in the east. It does not rise in the west just because someone says so,” Kumar said.
Despite these clarifications, opposition leaders continue to argue that the Commission is not responding to the core questions raised by Rahul Gandhi’s research on voter fraud. Many parties believe that the Election Commission is being unfair and acting in favour of the ruling party. The Congress and its allies have indicated that they will keep pressing for answers on the alleged irregularities in Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Bihar. For them, the bigger issue is not just the voter list errors, but the overall neutrality of the Election Commission in India’s democratic process.
The matter has therefore escalated beyond a technical dispute over electoral rolls. It has become a political flashpoint between the ruling BJP and the opposition INDIA bloc, with the Election Commission itself drawn into the centre of the storm. For now, the CEC has taken a strong stand, demanding either proof or apology from Rahul Gandhi. But given the sharp counterattacks by Gandhi and opposition leaders, the issue is expected to remain alive in national politics, at least until the Bihar polls are concluded and the Commission is able to prove its credibility on the ground.
(With ANI inputs)