SIR row: Cong makes fresh push to impeach CEC Gyanesh Kumar, rallies oppn

Opposition parties may move impeachment motion against Gyanesh Kumar

NEW DELHI: Congress has reached out to the opposition parties in a bid to convince them to move an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar amid the ongoing SIR row, news agency ANI reported citing Congress sources on Thursday.“Opposition parties to move impeachment motion notice against CEC Gyanesh Kumar in both Houses of Parliament; Congress has reached out to Opposition parties on the issue. It will be submitted within the next two weeks,” the party sources said.Moreover, Congress has directed its state units to organise protest marches to their respective state Election Commission offices on September 25, seeking the arrest and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.The move comes amid the ongoing controversy over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, following a media report that highlighted differences among Election Commission officials over the exercise.The Indian Express reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had repeatedly raised concerns within the three-member poll panel over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

While the nationwide exercise has been overseen by all three commissioners, Sandhu and Joshi, according to the report, formally recorded objections at least 14 times over the past 10 months, including four on a single day, over decisions and orders they said were taken or issued without their knowledge.