INDIA bloc drops mock Parliament plan, opts for 'People's Impeachment' of CEC

The opposition INDIA bloc has revised its plan to hold a mock Parliament against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, deciding instead to organise a symbolic "People's Impeachment" or "Jan Mahabhiyog" at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's residence on Friday.

The change followed concerns among opposition leaders that recreating parliamentary proceedings could invite allegations of contempt of Parliament. The revised programme will focus on presenting allegations against the Chief Election Commissioner, particularly those concerning the revision of electoral rolls and alleged deletion of voters' names.

According to opposition sources, the event will begin at 3 pm and continue until 7.30 pm, with representatives of 19 political parties expected to participate.

The symbolic exercise will not constitute formal parliamentary impeachment proceedings, which are governed by constitutional and statutory procedures.

𝗠𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗮 𝗞𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has been entrusted with conducting the programme. She will be assisted by a Samajwadi Party MP whose name is yet to be finalised, sources said.

The original proposal envisaged a mock parliamentary session featuring representatives of the government and opposition engaging in a debate under a presiding officer.

However, following discussions among INDIA bloc leaders on Thursday, the format was altered to avoid replicating the functioning of Parliament.

The meeting was attended by Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh, Nasir Hussain, Manickam Tagore and Pawan Khera, besides Meira Kumar.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Mahua Maji and Samajwadi Party leader Harendra Malik also participated in the deliberations.

𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻, 𝗥𝗮𝗵𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲

Under the revised arrangement, Kharge, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, will initiate the arguments against the Chief Election Commissioner.

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, will deliver the concluding arguments.

Representatives of 19 political parties will address the gathering, with most speakers allotted five minutes each. The Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress have been given 10 minutes each.

Around 30 speakers are expected to participate in the programme, including three representatives from civil society.

Individuals whose names have allegedly been removed from electoral rolls will also be given an opportunity to share their experiences.

The opposition intends to use these accounts to highlight its concerns over voter registration, deletion procedures and the conduct of the electoral roll revision exercise.

𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻

The programme will primarily focus on alleged irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls, an issue that has become a major point of confrontation between the opposition and the Election Commission.

Opposition leaders have raised concerns about the impact of the exercise on approximately 13.5 crore voters, while the Congress claims the figure has increased to 16.5 crore.

These figures are part of the opposition's claims and do not establish that all the voters concerned have been removed from electoral rolls.

The Election Commission has maintained that its decisions concerning electoral roll revisions have been taken in accordance with established legal procedures. It has also rejected allegations of internal disagreement over its final decisions.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲

The Congress and other INDIA bloc constituents plan to broadcast the proceedings live through their YouTube channels and social media platforms.

The programme will conclude with the national anthem.

The symbolic exercise comes two days ahead of the opposition alliance's November 1 rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan, where leaders are expected to intensify their campaign against alleged electoral irregularities.

The opposition has been demanding accountability from the Election Commission over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and has previously explored formal parliamentary action seeking the removal of the Chief Election Commissioner.

The Friday programme is intended to bring those allegations before a wider public audience while avoiding the procedural complications associated with staging a mock parliamentary session.