Days after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee threatened Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, with consequences after the BJP is no longer in power at the Centre, 180 opposition MPs have signed a notice for his impeachment. As per reports, the notice, signed by 120 Lok Sabha MPs and 60 Rajya Sabha lawmakers, is expected to be submitted by Friday in both Houses of Parliament.
The notice reportedly contains several allegations against the CEC, including deprivation of voting rights and misbehaviour towards TMC leaders when they visited the Election Commission headquarters on March 10, 2026.
The move comes after Mamata Banerjee, who has been displeased by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in West Bengal, launched an all-out attack on the CEC on March 9, 2026. Speaking during an anti-SIR protest in Kolkata, the West Bengal CM said that Kumar would have to fall at the feet of the public after May, when the assembly elections in the state are over.
“You can show your might only till the month of May; you can threaten officers only until then. You yourself do not know where you will be after that. Gyanesh Kumar, you will have to fall at the feet of the public. We will oust you from government,” Banerjee lashed out at Kumar.
Banerjee accused CEC Kumar of misusing the central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against her government in the state. “He has the ED, CBI, BSF, and every agency with him. Still, I will say that no matter how much ED and CBI you show, it will all be goodbye after the vote,” Banerjee said.
She alleged that the Election Commission unfairly deleted the names of valid voters in the SIR exercise in West Bengal. “You can win votes by deleting names and snatching away voting rights, but tomorrow the BJP government will definitely go from Delhi, then I will drag you and bring you to answer in front of the public,” she said, threatening Kumar.
Notably, the Supreme Court had clearly stated last month that it would not allow any impediment to the SIR exercise in any state, including West Bengal. The Court’s remarks came during the hearing of a challenge filed by the Mamata Banerjee government against the SIR in West Bengal. Earlier, during the SIR exercise in Bihar, the Apex Court had made it clear that the exercise was constitutional and that the Election Commission was empowered to conduct it for updating the electoral rolls.
