INDIA Bloc Moves 'Public Impeachment' of CEC Gyanesh Kumar to October 31 Amid Rain and Protest Dispute

The rain came first. On Friday, the day the INDIA bloc had planned to stage what it calls a 'public impeachment' of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, incessant rain in the capital pushed the event back by a day. Opposition leaders gathered outside Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence at 10, Rajaji Marg, and announced the new date: October 31, at 2.30 pm.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, made the announcement at a joint press conference after a meeting of bloc leaders. The decision, he said, was taken by consensus. The concern was the comfort of senior leaders sitting through the rain, and he promised the same programme the next day. Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh confirmed the new timing in a post on X, adding that the event would be followed on Sunday by a 'Chalo Dilli' march to Ramlila Maidan. Rahul described that march as open to everyone regardless of political affiliation.

The event is symbolic. The leaders had met on Thursday to finalise the proceedings, which will be held at Kharge's residence as a protest over the alleged 'vote chori', or vote theft. Sources said former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar would chair it. Kharge is expected to move the 'motion' against the CEC, and Rahul will give concluding remarks before it is passed. Besides the two, one representative from each bloc party is likely to speak. Because it is a political gathering and not a parliamentary process, the 'impeachment' carries no formal force.

The underlying demand is that Kumar resign over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said the aim was to call out what she described as an unfair vote manipulation process, and the man at its helm, whom she said was backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Ramesh said the countdown to Kumar's exit was accelerating, accusing him of subverting the Constitution on the instructions of the 'PM-HM duo'. These are the opposition's allegations; the source does not carry a response from the Election Commission or the government.

Rahul went further, accusing the Home Minister of trying to stop people from reaching Delhi to join the protests. He said party workers and thousands of ordinary people were being stopped, and told reporters to watch how many arrived at Ramlila Maidan and how many were stopped. He alleged that millions were being disenfranchised. The Congress had also claimed on Tuesday that it was denied permission to hold the public impeachment, and accused the government of trying to silence ordinary people's voices. The government's side of the permission dispute is not reported.

The bloc stressed unity. Rahul said this was one protest, not several, and that anyone wanting to join was welcome. Derek O'Brien, speaking for Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool, listed the Shiv Sena, JMM, RSP, CPI, RJD and CPI(ML) among partners, and said they would win together. Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav pointed to the UP MLC results, where teachers and graduates voted, as evidence of how far behind the BJP is in Uttar Pradesh.

Among those at the preparatory meeting were Kharge, Rahul, Ramesh, K C Venugopal, O'Brien, Moitra, Arvind Sawant, John Brittas, P Sandosh Kumar, Sanjay Yadav and N K Premchandran. What to watch now is the size of the crowd on October 31 and at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, and whether the Election Commission answers the demand for Kumar's resignation.