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Denied permission, Opposition moves symbolic CEC ‘trial’ to Kharge’s house
The scripted session will see Cong president Mallikarjun Kharge move the resolution against Gyanesh Kumar before the proceedings are thrown open.
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Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc will hold a mock parliament session at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence on Friday to symbolically “impeach” chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, escalating their campaign accusing the election authority of undermining democratic safeguards.
The scripted session will see Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge move the resolution against Gyanesh Kumar before the proceedings are thrown open to other participants. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will deliver the final speech against Kumar.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar will preside over the mock parliament proceedings. It is not clear if someone will play the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
Initially, the plan was for three MPs to stage a performance, but the Congress leadership has second thoughts.
A senior Congress leader said they had originally planned to invite former Supreme Court judges and jurists to participate in the mock parliament, but at least five former judges refused to join the show.
The mock parliament sessions, conceived as a symbolic impeachment proceeding against Kumar, will take place at Kharge’s residence at 10, Rajaji Marg at 3.30 pm. The Opposition said it was denied permission to hold the mock session at the Ashoka Hotel and subsequently at Ramlila Maidan where they have planned to hold a huge protest on November 1.
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“All Opposition MPs, party leaders, eminent faces from the civil society, student leaders and some people whose names have been deleted in the SIR will attend the mock session,” said a senior Congress leader.
The exercise is intended to give the Opposition a platform to present its allegations against the Election Commission and build momentum for its November 1 rally against what it calls vote chori.
The Opposition has been leading protests against Kumar and has met President Droupadi Murmu, demanding his removal and the repeal of the 2023 law that provides immunity to the CEC and Election Commissioners. It has accused the CEC of the “unilateral and arbitrary exercise of the collective powers” during the ongoing revision of electoral rolls.
Under the law, the CEC can be removed by Parliament through a process similar to the impeachment of a Supreme Court judge. The CEC or an Election Commissioner may also resign by submitting a written resignation to the President.
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The Congress last month announced plans to move a fresh impeachment motion against Kumar after the Indian Express’ report on objections raised by the two election commissioners on decisions related to the special intensive revision, but later decided to opt for political programmes and public outreach.
Congress leaders alleged that denying permission for the mock session aimed to restrict the Opposition’s political mobilisation, while the venue changes are part of its broader argument that the government is obstructing its campaign.
Friday’s proceedings also aim to bring ordinary voters’ concerns into the political debate. People who say their names have been deleted from electoral rolls are expected to be given an opportunity to present their experiences, alongside arguments from Opposition MPs and legal experts.
