NEW DELHI — In an unprecedented challenge to the leadership of India’s electoral body, a coalition of opposition parties has gathered more than 190 signatures to move a motion for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Sources confirmed on Thursday, March 12, 2026, that 130 members of the Lok Sabha and 63 members of the Rajya Sabha have signed the formal notice, surpassing the legal thresholds required to initiate impeachment proceedings in either house of Parliament.
This marks the first time in the history of the Republic that a notice has been served to remove a sitting Chief Election Commissioner. The move is backed by the entire INDIA bloc, with additional support from the Aam Aadmi Party. Leaders of the opposition stated that lawmakers showed significant enthusiasm for the initiative, with many coming forward to sign even after the requisite numbers—100 for the Lok Sabha and 50 for the Rajya Sabha—had already been met. The motion is expected to be formally submitted in at least one House on Friday.
Seven Charges of Misconduct and “Mass Disenfranchisement”
The notice reportedly lists seven specific charges against Kumar, alleging a pattern of partisan and discriminatory conduct that undermines the integrity of the democratic process. Among the most serious accusations is the “deliberate obstruction of investigation of electoral fraud” and the “mass disenfranchisement” of voters. The opposition has been particularly vocal regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) currently underway, which they claim has been manipulated to favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The controversy has reached a boiling point in West Bengal, where Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Election Commission of systematically deleting genuine voters from the rolls. The opposition argues that the SIR process lacks transparency and is being used as a tool for electoral engineering ahead of upcoming polls. By filing this notice, the opposition aims to hold the CEC accountable for what they describe as a failure to maintain the independence of his office.
The Legal Hurdle of Impeachment
The process for removing a CEC is exceptionally rigorous, designed to protect the office from political whim. Under the law, a CEC can only be removed in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge: proven misbehaviour or incapacity. For the motion to succeed, it must be passed by a special majority in both Houses of Parliament, requiring a majority of the total membership and a two-thirds majority of those present and voting.
If the notices are admitted in both Houses on the same day, a joint committee will be constituted by the Speaker and the Chairman to investigate the charges as per the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. Only after this committee finds evidence of misbehaviour can the Houses proceed with the final vote. While the path to removal is long and complex, the sheer scale of the opposition’s coordination signals a deepening crisis of trust between the political opposition and the nation’s primary electoral watchdog.
