AAP to skip INDIA bloc meeting on EC row, backs impeachment motion against CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday announced that it would skip the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled in Delhi on Wednesday to discuss alleged electoral irregularities and a proposed nationwide protest against the Election Commission of India (ECI).

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the party would instead support an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in Parliament, adding that it was prepared to join hands with opposition parties on the issue.

Speaking to ANI, Singh said the AAP was no longer part of the INDIA alliance and saw no reason to attend the meeting.

“The Aam Aadmi Party has already made it clear that we are not part of the INDIA alliance, so there is no point in attending such a meeting.”

Singh said the party had already signed the impeachment motion against Kumar and would support collective opposition action if it was taken up in Parliament.

“As far as the impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is concerned, we have already signed it. If an impeachment motion against Gyanesh Kumar is brought in Parliament and any action is taken, we will join hands with all the opposition parties and fight this battle together.”

The INDIA bloc meeting is expected to bring opposition leaders together to discuss a proposed nationwide campaign over allegations of electoral irregularities and concerns surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Sanjay Singh accuses Congress of targeting Samajwadi Party in UP

Reacting to reports that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav may also stay away from the opposition meeting, Singh accused the Congress of creating difficulties for the SP and its leadership in Uttar Pradesh.

“We are seeing how Congress has been troubling the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh,” the AAP leader said.

Singh also questioned the Congress's reported seat demands in the state, alleging that its public statements appeared to place it at odds with the Samajwadi Party rather than the BJP.

“Today, we heard a statement that Congress wants 150 seats. At times, they say they will contest all 403 seats; sometimes they say they want 200 seats. Are they fighting the BJP or the Samajwadi Party? Their statements make it seem as though they are fighting the Samajwadi Party,” Sanjay Singh said.

Opposition row over Election Commission intensifies

The latest developments come amid an escalating political dispute over the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.

The controversy intensified following an investigative report by The Indian Express, which reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised objections at least 14 times over 10 months concerning decisions and procedures linked to SIR.

The Election Commission, however, has rejected suggestions that the reported objections amounted to institutional dissent, maintaining that decisions concerning the revision exercise were taken with the unanimous approval of the Commission.

The proposed INDIA bloc meeting on Wednesday is expected to focus on opposition coordination and the next steps in its campaign over electoral transparency and accountability.