Stories
Opposition Rallies Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Demands Neutral Election Commission
C
CNBC TV18•02-10-2026, 10:33
Opposition Rallies Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Demands Neutral Election Commission
- •The I.N.D.I.A alliance met to strategize the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and launch "Save Democracy" protests.
- •The controversy stems from a report detailing differences between Kumar and his colleagues, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
- •Nineteen parties attended the meeting, with two joining virtually, to plan a roadmap for public protests and legal challenges.
- •The opposition plans to mount a legal challenge to the amended 2023 Act for appointment of Election Commissioners and press for an impeachment motion.
- •Key demands include a transparent process for voter enrollment, return to paper ballots, and strengthening the ECI as a neutral body.
Key Questions Answered
A media report revealed internal disagreements between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and two other Election Commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, who objected to multiple decisions made without their knowledge during the Special Intensive Revision process.
Leaders from 19 parties formulated a multi-pronged strategy involving public protests starting on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, legal challenges against the 2023 appointment Act, and pushing for a pending parliamentary impeachment motion.
The opposition demands the resignation of the CEC, an independent probe into alleged lapses in the Special Intensive Revision process, a transparent ECI workflow, and a return to paper ballots.
