New Delhi: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is gearing up to launch impeachment proceedings against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, marking a significant step up in its ongoing conflict with the Election Commission of India. According to party sources, the draft for the impeachment motion is in place, and the process is already underway, with the party reaching out to other Opposition groups to garner broader support.
While specifics of the discussions are kept under wraps, this move indicates a coordinated effort by sections of the Opposition to challenge what TMC describes as a lack of transparency and accountability within the Election Commission.
The issue was also brought up during a recent meeting of the INDIA Bloc, chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. At the meeting, TMC’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha, Satabdi Roy, presented the party’s concerns to the Opposition leadership and called for collective action on several issues related to electoral transparency and democratic accountability, according to a senior leader.
Mamata Banerjee-led TMC has raised serious doubts about the integrity of the electoral process, accusing the Election Commission of functioning in a manner that raises major concerns. TMC leaders say that repeated attempts to seek clarity from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar have yet to receive satisfactory answers. Insider sources reveal that the leadership has held three meetings with the CEC but remains dissatisfied with the explanations so far.
“Enough is enough,” senior party leaders declared, accusing the Chief Election Commissioner of misleading political stakeholders. The party has demanded that the Election Commission release the transcripts of earlier meetings with political representatives. Leaders warned that if the transcripts are not made public, the party might take matters into its own hands and publish them.