Shadow of Chawla looms as Congress targets CEC Kumar

The Congress-led INDIA bloc is mounting a fierce campaign against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, even considering an impeachment motion over allegations of voter fraud and perceived bias towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Kumar has come under sharp attack from opposition leaders after he challenged Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi—without naming him directly—to either submit an affidavit or apologise for his repeated claims of "vote chori" in states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Haryana.

The opposition's offensive against the Election Commission in general, and Kumar in particular, has revived memories of 2009. At the time, the Congress was in power at the Centre and election commissioner Naveen Chawla, who later became the CEC, faced an unprecedented attempt by his immediate superior, CEC N. Gopalaswami, to remove him over alleged proximity to the Congress leadership.