Congress launches nationwide campaign to oust CEC Gyanesh Kumar after Supreme Court blow

The political pressure on Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar intensified on Monday, as the Congress party launched a nationwide campaign for his removal and a group of retired bureaucrats issued a "people's impeachment notice" over alleged voter disenfranchisement.

This coordinated offensive follows a significant development in the Supreme Court. Earlier on Monday, the court clarified that it had never approved any modified version of Form 6—the statutory document used to register new voters. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had previously defended its changes by pointing to judicial clearance.

"Any modified Form 6 has not been approved by us," Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said during the hearing. "Let's be clear. When the record is produced, we would like to see who has modified."

Congress launches national campaign

Seizing on the court's remarks, the Congress party announced a sustained agitation called "Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao" (Save the Vote, Save the Country). Speaking at a press conference, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal accused the commission of bias, calling it the "Cheating Commission of India", and stated that the protests would not stop until Kumar is removed from office.

The decision was finalised during a high-level meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and attended by the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

According to Venugopal, the first phase of the campaign will run from 10 October to 20 October, featuring block-level bike rallies, cycle rallies, and foot marches across the country. From 25 October, party workers—whom the party is calling "Vote Rakshaks"—will hold village meetings to identify voters they allege have been unfairly deleted from electoral rolls. The campaign is set to culminate in a major rally at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on 1 November, followed by regional marches in late November.

Former civil servants demand removal

Separately, a group of 14 prominent former bureaucrats, diplomats, and activists attempted to deliver a formal "chargesheet" to Kumar at the Election Commission office in New Delhi on Monday. Stopped by heavy police barricading, the delegation ultimately emailed the document to the commissioner.

The signatories include former Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung, former Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai, and former Intelligence Bureau Special Director Yashovardhan Azad.

Their document invokes Article 324(5) of the Constitution, which protects the Chief Election Commissioner from removal except on grounds of "proved misbehaviour or incapacity". It lists six specific accusations against Kumar, including undermining the commission's collective decision-making, centralising voter registration on the ECINET platform, and presiding over a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls that they claim led to large-scale disenfranchisement.

Controversy over Form 6

Activist Anjali Bhardwaj, who was part of the delegation, argued that the Supreme Court’s clarification has stripped Kumar of his moral authority to remain in office.

"First the commission defended the changes, saying they had been upheld by the Supreme Court, but the court denied that today," Bhardwaj said. "How do people trust the Commission?"

The former civil servants argue that the unauthorized alterations to Form 6 placed an unfair burden on citizens trying to register to vote, compromising the independence and credibility of the electoral process.

The Election Commission has not yet responded to the allegations or the planned protests.