Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge accused CEC Gyanesh Kumar of treason on Thursday during an INDIA bloc mock impeachment. Kharge levelled six charges, including the deletion of 13.2 crore voters. He said the exercise was "partisan, opaque and violated the constitutional right to vote" while alleging the CEC favoured the BJP.

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar of committing "treason against the nation and the Constitution of India". He levelled six charges against CEC Kumar over alleged irregularities in the conduct of elections and the revision of electoral rolls.

During the mock parliament held by INDIA bloc leaders in Delhi to publicly impeach Gyanesh Kumar, Kharge accused the CEC of being part of an alleged conspiracy "orchestrated by the BJP" to manipulate national and state elections by allowing unauthorised access to voter lists and facilitating the addition and deletion of voters.

Among the key charges, Kharge held the CEC responsible for the alleged deletion of 13.2 crore voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming the exercise was "partisan, opaque and violated the constitutional right to vote".

He also accused Kumar of amending Form 6 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, without parliamentary oversight, allegedly making it difficult for first-time voters to enrol.

Another charge concerned the alleged centralisation of control over electoral rolls through the ERONET/ECINET software to facilitate voter deletions and prevent legitimate additions.

Kharge further alleged that CEC Kumar had sidelined the other two Election Commissioners from decision-making, despite them raising at least 14 objections on record.

He also accused the CEC of acting in favour of the ruling BJP, denying opposition leaders a fair hearing and compromising the Election Commission's constitutional independence.

The Congress chief additionally alleged that members of Kumar's family had received benefits, including plum postings and opportunities for financial gains, in return for his alleged compliance with the ruling establishment.