Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Rajya Sabha chairman CP Radhakrishnan on Monday rejected the impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, who has been facing opposition’s heat over the pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and the “conduct” of the recent assembly polls.It was the first time a notice was given seeking removal of the poll body chief, with 130 Lok Sabha MPs and 63 Rajya Sabha members signing the motion.The 10-page-long notice carried a chargesheet on seven counts. The charges ranged from partisan conduct of the CEC to mass disenfranchisement of voters.The opposition had also raised the issue of the way the CEC handled SIR in previous elections like Bihar and forthcoming elections in states like West Bengal; his “proved misbehaviour”; his partial conduct towards a political party are also issues that find a mention in the notice.The notice for removal of the CEC, piloted by TMC, came after growing accusations from opposition parties against Gyanesh Kumar.They accused the CEC of bias and carrying out the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in an arbitrary manner in a bid to aid the BJP.West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been leading protests over the SIR process in her state. Other opposition parties too have been attacking the CEC, with Rahul Gandhi steering the “vote chori” campaign.BJP leaders had criticised the opposition’s proposal, arguing that political parties should focus on electoral contests instead of targeting the Election Commission.The motion, which stands rejected, required to be passed in Parliament by a special majority, according to parliamentary provisions.
