New Delhi, March 13 (IANS) Trinamool Congress MP, Kirti Azad, on Friday backed the move to bring an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the poll body chief had acted in a partisan manner in several elections.

Speaking to IANS, Azad claimed that CEC Kumar’s functioning had raised serious concerns among Opposition parties and said that impeachment proceedings were necessary.

“Gyanesh Kumar is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The way he is functioning is visible to everyone. Yes, an impeachment is necessary. We have been raising this issue even before the discussion around the West Bengal Legislative Assembly election began. He did not work fairly even in Maharashtra, Haryana or Bihar elections,” Azad said.

He further stated that support for the proposed motion was growing among lawmakers. “At least 200 people have signed; it’s ongoing,” he added.

According to sources, signatures have been collected for a notice seeking a motion for the removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar on various grounds, including alleged “partisan and discriminatory conduct in office.”

The notice, which is likely to be submitted soon in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, reportedly lists seven charges against CEC Kumar. These include allegations of partisan conduct, deliberate obstruction of investigations into electoral fraud and the mass disenfranchisement of voters.

Under parliamentary rules, at least 100 MPs must sign such a notice in the Lok Sabha and 50 MPs in the Rajya Sabha for it to be considered.

Meanwhile, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party rejected the allegations. BJP MP Damodar Agrawal criticised the Opposition for targeting constitutional institutions.

“Putting such constitutional institutions in the dock and spreading misinformation about them is not good. The Election Commission is doing unbiased work. The INDIA alliance is only making proposals and not taking any action,” Agrawal said.

The Aam Aadmi Party has also extended support to the proposed impeachment motion, accusing the Election Commission of ignoring complaints raised by the party and allowing alleged electoral irregularities.

–IANS

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