• Source:JND
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CEC Removal Notice: Undeterred by the rejection of their earlier notices, the Opposition parties made a fresh attempt to remove Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. News agency PTI, quoting sources, said the Opposition parties submitted a fresh notice, signed by 73 MPs in the Rajya Sabha, seeking a motion to remove the CEC.

According to highly placed sources, leaders from several opposition parties were in talks, and at least 73 senior MPs from different parties -- including the Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the DMK -- worked on drafting a new notice to initiate removal proceedings.

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Buoyed by the defeat of The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026 in Lok Sabha on April 17, opposition leaders are aiming to dislodge the CEC, who faced the charges to favour the ruling party- the BJP, which he vehemently denied.

"We want to make a statement. We first need to prove that the number last time was underestimated," the source added.

Record Voting In Bengal And Tamil Nadu

The development comes a day after West Bengal registered a record voter turnout of 92.72 per cent in the first phase of assembly polls, while Tamil Nadu recorded unprecedented voting of 85.14 per cent.

What Are The Charges Against CEC

In its earlier notices, the opposition had accused CEC Kumar of a "failure to maintain independence and constitutional fidelity" and of acting under the "thumb of the executive". The notices levelled sweeping charges against the CEC, alleging 'proved misbehaviour' on grounds including a compromised and executive-influenced appointment, partisan functioning -- such as the alleged 'graded response' doctrine targeting opposition leaders -- obstruction of electoral fraud investigations, and erosion of transparency through refusal to share data and materials.

ALSO READ: 'Mocking Parliament': TMC's Derek O'Brien Lashes Out At BJP As Motion To Impeach CEC Rejected By Both Houses

The Opposition further accused him of enabling large-scale disenfranchisement via Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercises in Bihar and elsewhere, defying or delaying compliance with Supreme Court directions, and acting in alignment with the political executive, thereby undermining the independence of the Election Commission.

However, in almost similar responses, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan rejected the notices, holding that even if the allegations were assumed to be true, they did not meet the high constitutional threshold of 'misbehaviour' required for removal. They reasoned that appointment-related issues or prior government service do not constitute misconduct; differences in public statements or administrative decisions lack evidence of wilful abuse of authority; and actions like data-sharing or electoral roll revisions fall within the commission's constitutional mandate and are subject to judicial review.

'CEC Himself A Logical Discrepancy, National Shame': Kapil Sibal

Meanwhile, former law minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday accused Kumar of working in cahoots with the BJP to make the party win the West Bengal elections, saying he is a "national shame" and it is his "vocation" to make sure that the BJP emerges victorious. The Independent Rajya Sabha MP also came down heavily on the BJP-led Centre and the Election Commission (EC) over the massive deployment of security personnel for the Bengal polls to be held in two phases on April 23 and 29.

(With PTI inputs)


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