The notice seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar cites concerns ranging from the selection process for the post to his public confrontation with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and reports of widespread deletion of voters in two constituencies in Karnataka, an Opposition leader said on Monday (March 15, 2026).
The Opposition is yet to make the contents of the 10-page notice against Mr. Kumar public. The notice signed by 193 Opposition MPs — 130 in the Lok Sabha and 63 in the Rajya Sabha — has listed seven charges against the election panel chief, including “partisan and discriminatory conduct”, “obstruction of inquiries into electoral fraud” and “mass disenfranchisement”. The Opposition alleges that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise was used to benefit the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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The notices, filed on Friday (March 13, 2026), follow months of Opposition protests over the SIR of electoral rolls. MPs have alleged repeated “manipulation” of voter lists and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of overlooking complaints of disenfranchisement. Removal of a CEC follows the same stringent process as that of a Supreme Court or High Court judge and can be initiated only on grounds of “proven misbehaviour or incapacity”.
