NEW DELHI: The combined Opposition is actively examining the option of moving an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over allegations of serious irregularities in the Bihar election process and hasty SIR being undertaken in West Bengal and several other states.
The issue is likely to dominate the political narrative as Parliament’s Winter Session begins on December 1.
The Congress has convened a crucial strategy meeting to assess the political fallout of the Bihar results, which decisively favoured the BJP–JDU alliance.
According to senior leaders, the party will evaluate legal, procedural and political avenues before firming up its stand. The broader INDIA bloc is scheduled to meet formally on December 1, the first day of the three-week Parliament session, where the impeachment question is expected to feature prominently.
Meanwhile, a 10-member delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs met the Election Commission on Tuesday, spending nearly two hours flagging a series of concerns.
The TMC team strongly raised the reported death of 17 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in West Bengal and other states during the rushed implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). They questioned the EC’s “unusual urgency” in completing the exercise within two months, alleging that the haste compromised both safety and transparency.
A second key concern highlighted by the delegation was the presence of non-citizens’ names in electoral rolls. The MPs accused the EC of “selective action”, questioning why West Bengal was being scrutinised while Assam and Nagaland, which also share borders with Myanmar, were not subjected to similar inquiry standards. TMC lawmakers called this differential treatment “politically motivated”.
Opposition parties have so far kept the impeachment issue discreet, preferring a unified decision once the INDIA bloc meets. However, senior opposition sources indicate a hardening stance after the Bihar developments. They allege that the SIR exercise in Bihar was used to “manipulate and hijack the mandate”, calling it a gross violation of electoral norms.
With tensions rising on the eve of the Winter Session, the coming days are expected to witness heated exchanges both inside and outside Parliament. The Opposition appears determined not to let the matter rest, setting the stage for a turbulent start to the legislative season.
