Mallikarjun Kharge slammed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as a puppet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah during a public impeachment session at his Rajaji Marg residence on Saturday. He claimed the CEC operates under the direct instructions of the central government, undermining the Commission’s independence.
Seven months earlier, 193 opposition MPs had moved a parliamentary motion to remove Kumar, but the notices were dismissed and no cognisance was taken. The Congress leader highlighted the 2023 Chief Election Commissioner Act, which grants lifelong protection to the CEC and other election officers—an immunity he says eclipses even the President’s.
In the same breath, Rahul Gandhi urged citizens to join a march from Connaught Place to Ramlila Maidan for the INDIA bloc’s mega rally on November 1. Delhi Police confirmed that no permission had been sought for the planned protest, raising questions about law‑enforcement coordination.
The impeachment motion, now in the hands of Parliament, will be debated in the next session, potentially culminating in a vote to remove Kumar. If passed, the move would trigger a re‑appointment process and spark a constitutional crisis.
A shopkeeper on Connaught Place warned that the protest could paralyse traffic for hours, while a local resident, Anjali Mehra, said she feared her family’s voting rights might be jeopardised if the Commission’s neutrality is compromised.