The BJP’s attack took shape at a press conference in New Delhi’s BJP headquarters, where Sambit Patra denounced the Congress-led INDIA bloc for staging a symbolic 'public impeachment' of CEC Gyanesh Kumar. The session, held at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, saw former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar preside, and was billed by the opposition as a mock parliament that challenged the Election Commission’s credibility.
Patra blasted Rahul Gandhi as a 'mock Prime Minister', insisting the Congress’s attempts to brand him as a leader would fail. He also defended the Election Commission against allegations of irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling the claims 'vote chori' and accusing the opposition of spreading lies.
In response, the INDIA bloc framed the impeachment as a legitimate critique of the ruling coalition’s handling of electoral rolls and used the event to rally support ahead of their Sunday rally. They portrayed the session as a democratic exercise that exposed the BJP’s alleged manipulation of voter data.
The BJP leveraged the World Bank’s 2023 poverty report, which shows India’s extreme poverty rate falling to 2.6%, to mock the opposition’s narrative and claim that the Congress is trapped in political fantasies.
Analysts warn that the clash could intensify rhetoric and sway public sentiment as the general elections approach. The opposition’s Sunday rally is expected to feature a robust defense of the impeachment and a call for electoral reforms.
The next day, the BJP is poised to issue a counter-press release, and lawmakers may debate the legitimacy of the impeachment in parliamentary sessions, further escalating the political showdown.