Voter list row: Opposition mulls impeachment notice against CEC

Opposition INDIA Bloc leaders met here on Monday to consider moving an impeachment notice against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as it stepped up it protests over voter roll revision in Bihar and alleged "vote theft."

Several Opposition leaders met in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and held discussions on how the CEC on Sunday addressed a press conference without answering any of the questions raised by them, sources said.

Some opposition MPs felt that this fight has to be taken forward and suggested an impeachment motion against the CEC, the sources said.

They said the fight against the EC needs to be taken forward as it has not answered or cleared the doubts raised in the poll process.

Though the move is in the discussion stage, the opposition parties will meet again and crystallise this further, the sources said.

Asked about the move, Congress leader Naseer Hussain said they would use every democratic means in this regard.

"We were expecting yesterday that the Election Commission would answer and address all concerns and questions being raised by the public and would clear doubts and anomalies being pointed out by people," he said.

"The EC has not given any answers on people declared dead in electoral rolls and is acting as spokesperson of BJP and talking in the same manner as BJP spokesperson. We need a completely impartial CEC and Election Commission in the country," he said.

"We are ready to use any process in Parliamentary democracy, if need be," Hussain asserted when asked about the impeachment notice being mulled against the CEC.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Sunday, CEC Kumar said the electoral roll revision is aimed at removing all shortcomings in voter lists and it is a matter of grave concern that some parties are spreading misinformation about it and firing from the EC's shoulder .

The CEC rejected as "baseless" the allegations of double voting and "vote theft" and asserted that all stakeholders are working to make SIR a success in a transparent manner.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the poll body is colluding with the BJP to carry out "vote chori openly" in the name of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar and asserted that he is not sacred of EC officials.

Addressing a gathering here at the end of the first day of his Voter Adhikar Yatra which began from Bihar's Sasaram, Gandhi also said while he was asked to submit an affidavit after his press conference exposing "vote chori", no such demand was made from BJP leader Anurag Thakur who made similar claims in his presser.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also alleged that the SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar was a way to steal votes of the people of the state.