File photo of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. 73 Rajya Sabha MPs from 11 Opposition parties had submitted a fresh notice seeking motion for removal of Mr. Kumar.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy
Opposition parties on Friday (April 24, 2026) moved a fresh notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, accusing him of acting in a partisan manner.The 13-page notice, which was submitted by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and Trinamool Congress’s Sagarika Ghose to the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General, was signed by 73 Opposition MPs of the Upper House. Citing examples from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh, the MPs levelled nine charges against him. Accusing the CEC of “asymmetrical enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct”, they said the poll body ignored the violation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who used the public broadcaster to denounce the Opposition through his address to the nation.They also flagged an EC post on X against the Trinamool Congress ahead of the election in West Bengal; the spat between Mr. Kumar and a Trinamool Congress delegation during a recent meeting at EC headquarters in Delhi; “mass disenfranchisement” in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, ignoring complaints filed by the Opposition parties; and the “illegal abuse” of power by transferring and posting of bureaucrats in Tamil Nadu. They also criticised the EC’s “institutional proximity” to the BJP, pointing to an incident in Kerala where an official election document reportedly carried the seal of a BJP State unit.The notice, addressed to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, was moved under Article 324(5) of the Constitution, read with Article 124(4), Section 11(2) of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. If the RS Chairman accepts the notice, he will order a probe. The MPs demanded that Mr. Kumar, pending the inquiry, recuse himself from poll-related functions in States where elections are under wayAccording to the signatories, Friday’s (April 24) motion pertains exclusively to Mr. Kumar’s actions after March 15, 2026, and is distinct from an earlier notice submitted on March 12 in both Houses of Parliament. The latter was rejected by the chair of the two Houses for “lack of proof”.‘Selective enforcement’The MPs accused the CEC of selective enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, flagging the public address by the Prime Minister on April 18, broadcast by public broadcasters — Doordarshan, Sansad TV, and All India Radio. The Opposition notice said the address, meant solely to denounce the Opposition parties, amounted to electioneering using state-funded broadcasters during the poll period.The MPs alleged that while complaints against Opposition figures were acted upon swiftly, complaints against the ruling party were ignored. A major charge relates to an April 8, 2026, post from the EC’s official social media handle that publicly named and admonished the Trinamool Congress in connection with election in West Bengal. The MPs contend that the post, titled “ECI’s straight-talk to Trinamool Congress”, amounted to an unprecedented public denunciation of a recognised political party by a constitutional body. They argue that such a post, accompanied by photographs of the CEC and other Election Commissioners, damaged the perception of the commission’s impartiality and tilted the electoral playing field.Further, the MPs accused the CEC of conduct unbecoming of a constitutional authority, pointing to a meeting with a Trinamool Congress delegation on April 8 that reportedly lasted only a few minutes. The Trinamool delegation claimed it was asked to “get lost”, an allegation the EC has denied. The Opposition’s notice also highlights the “mass disenfranchisement” in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh on the pretext of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. They also pointed to the adverse observations from the Supreme Court regarding the exercise. Published - April 24, 2026 03:23 pm IST
