In a “public impeachment” of the CEC, voters challenge the removal of names from the rolls

INDIA bloc leaders during their symbolic public impeachment program against CEC Gyanesh Kumar at 10 Rajaji Marg, New Delhi on October 31, 2026. Photo: AICC via ANI.

The symbolic “public recall” of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar by the Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance on Saturday (October 31, 2026) featured accounts from voters who claimed their names were deleted from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise.

Among them was Anita Jaiswal who moved from Calcutta to Delhi. She said she had voted in every election between 2012 and 2025 but was now being asked to prove her citizenship.

“I am a single mother. They told me to get an Aadhaar card that it will prove that I am a citizen. Who gave you the right to take away my voter ID? My daughter is getting a scholarship, she has a bank account and an Aadhaar card and now you are erasing our names. Who gave you the right?” she asked, adding, “Prove what country I’m from.”

Iftikar Ahmed, another voter from Kolkata, said he had voted in the same Chowrangee constituency for 20 years, but during the SIR hearing, he received a notice to retrieve the documents due to a discrepancy in the mapping. His father also voted from the same address for two decades, he said. “Our names were removed in a planned manner,” he claimed.

Pronounced dead

Nikhil Dey, founder of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, which works with affected voters, introduced Kanta Prasad, who was declared dead during the exercise. “He spoke very convincingly for a corpse! Deprivation of the right to vote is a crime against the Constitution and a stain on our democracy. There must be accountability,” Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said in a post on X.

RTI activist Anjali Bharadwaj said that in response to a request for copies of files recording the decision-making process behind the SIR, the Election Commission of India (ECI) replied that no such file existed.

“TC Kom, who is the chief secretary, said that the ECI has not taken any decision to implement the SIR,” Ms Bharadwaj alleged.

‘Favored one party’

Swaraj Abhiyan chief Yogendra Yadav described Mr. Kumar as “Mukhya Chunav Abhiyukt (Chief Election Culprit)” rather than “Mukhya Chunav Ayukt (Chief Election Commissioner)”.

All India Students’ Association (AISA) national president Neha Bora alleged that the SIR was a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise young voters and undermine democracy. It questioned the functioning of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and said their statutory powers were overridden by the use of software to exclude eligible voters. “You abused your public office and favored one political party,” she claimed.

The program was held in the garden of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in New Delhi. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar presided over the proceedings while Mr. Kharge moved the motion.

Published – November 1, 2026 0:51 AM IST