Public Impeachment: The stage is set for the INDIA bloc's "Jan Mahabhiyog" (public impeachment) of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in New Delhi on Friday as a symbolic protest over the "vote chori" issue. On Wednesday, INDIA bloc leaders met at Kharge's residence to give the final shape to the "public impeachment" proceedings.

Congress general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal, senior Congress leader Meira Kumar, TMC's Derek O'Brien, Samajwadi Party's Harendra Malik, JMM's Mahua Maji and CPI(M)'s John Brittas, among others, participated in the meeting. 

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Meira Kumar To Chair "Public Impeachment"

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar will chair the INDIA bloc's "public impeachment" of the CEC, with Kharge initiating the proceedings and LoP Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi making the concluding remarks before the 'motion' is adopted, news agency PTI reported, quoting sources.

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The Congress and other opposition parties have been demanding the resignation of Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Last-Minute Tweak In Nature Of Event

On the 'Public Impeachment' programme, JMM MP Mahua Maji said it has been named 'Public Impeachment', not a Mock Parliament. "It will not be organised entirely like a parliamentary session. Instead, the INDIA bloc is using democratic means to raise the voice of the people," she added.

The way injustice is being done to people in the country and crores of names are being deleted from voter lists is a matter of concern, Maji said.

Earlier, speaking with the media in Bengaluru, Kharge had said the opposition's protest is continuing because of the "vote theft and the mischief" carried out by the CEC. "We are protesting against that and will continue to do so. All parties are supporting us. Even tomorrow, there is mock Parliament and on November 1, we are having this rally and people from across the country are coming. We will fight. In a democracy, if you don't fight, people will not be awakened," the Congress president said.

On Wednesday, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said that having been denied other locations, the "INDIA janbandhan" will be holding the public impeachment of Kumar at Kharge's 10, Rajaji Marg residence at 3.30 pm on October 30.

"The CEC has demonstrably violated the letter and spirit of the Constitution. He has systematically subverted the very foundations of our electoral democracy. He has, to put it bluntly, lied to the Supreme Court," Ramesh said on X.

(With PTI Inputs)