Seeking removal of CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Kerala Assembly to move resolution today

The resolution asks the Union government to remove Gyanesh Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner. It also seeks action over voter deletions linked to the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, process. The Assembly says eligible voters should regain their voting rights after errors are corrected.

Its third demand is to reconstitute the committee that selects Election Commissioners. The proposed committee would include the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition, and the Supreme Court Chief Justice. Chief Minister V D Satheesan is scheduled to move the resolution.

The resolution is expected to pass because the Congress-led UDF has 102 of the Assembly’s 140 seats, while the CPI(M)-led LDF has 35 and the BJP has three. However, the vote would express the Assembly’s political position. It would not itself remove the CEC or automatically restore anyone’s name to an electoral roll.

Gyanesh Kumar is India’s Chief Election Commissioner, according to the article. The CEC is the head of the Election Commission of India, the constitutional body responsible for supervising elections. This includes setting the framework for electoral rolls, polling, counting, and related election administration.

The CEC works with the other Election Commissioners and the Commission’s officials. A key responsibility is ensuring that elections are conducted according to law and that eligible citizens can participate. The article connects this role to concerns about impartiality, voter deletions, and the credibility of the Commission.

The Assembly’s resolution would urge the Union government to remove Kumar. It would also seek a different selection committee, including the Prime Minister, the Lok Sabha Opposition Leader, and the Supreme Court Chief Justice. The article does not provide Kumar’s biography or details of his tenure. The resolution itself would be a political demand, not a direct dismissal order.

Kerala’s Legislative Assembly is a 140-member house. The Congress-led United Democratic Front, or UDF, has the largest bloc, with 102 members. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front, or LDF, has 35 MLAs, while the BJP has three legislators.

This distribution gives the UDF a clear majority and makes passage of the proposed resolution likely. The article says both the Congress and the CPI(M) are part of the national campaign and ongoing protest seeking the CEC’s removal. Their combined Assembly strength is enough to carry the motion comfortably.

The vote would therefore show broad political support inside the Assembly, although the article does not say it would have direct legal force over the Union government. Kerala’s Assembly is also described as having previously passed resolutions unanimously, including the 2025 resolution opposing the nationwide rollout of SIR. The current session is the second session of the 16th Legislative Assembly.

Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is a comprehensive process for checking and updating electoral rolls. It can involve verifying voter details, adding eligible people, correcting records, and removing ineligible or duplicate entries. The article says the resolution objects to alleged irregularities and anomalies connected with this process.

The key mechanism is simple: voting normally depends on a person’s name appearing on the electoral roll. If an eligible voter’s name is removed or recorded incorrectly, that person may be unable to vote at the polling station. The resolution specifically mentions minorities, migrants, marginalised sections, and young people as groups that could be affected.

The Assembly wants all eligible voters removed under the “guise” of SIR to regain their rights after the anomalies are corrected. However, the article notes that neither the Congress nor the CPI(M) alleged that eligible voters were removed in Kerala during SIR. It also says the current resolution does not specifically refer to Kerala.

If passed, the resolution would record the Kerala Assembly’s demand that the Union government remove Gyanesh Kumar. It would also endorse restoring eligible voters’ rights after SIR-related errors and changing the Election Commissioner selection committee. Its immediate effect would be political and declaratory.

A state Assembly resolution cannot independently dismiss the Chief Election Commissioner. It does not replace the constitutional removal process, direct the President to issue a removal order, or automatically change electoral rolls. The Union government and the constitutional authorities would still need to follow the applicable legal procedure.

Under India’s constitutional system, a CEC can be removed only through a process comparable to removing a Supreme Court judge. Parliament must approve the removal on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity, using the required special majorities, followed by a President’s order. Thus, Kerala’s resolution could add political pressure, but passing it alone would not remove Kumar.

India’s Constitution gives the Chief Election Commissioner strong security of tenure. The CEC may be removed only in a manner similar to a Supreme Court judge. The grounds are proved misbehaviour or incapacity, not simply political disagreement or criticism of an election decision.

The process begins with Parliament. Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha must pass an address seeking removal. Each House must approve it by a majority of its total membership and by at least two-thirds of the members present and voting. After Parliament completes this process, the President issues the removal order.

Kerala’s proposed resolution is therefore different from a removal motion under the Constitution. It would urge the Union government to act and signal the Assembly’s concerns about impartiality and electoral rolls. It could influence public and political debate, but it cannot substitute for Parliament’s special-majority process. The article itself does not describe this constitutional procedure, so these details come from established constitutional law.

An independent and impartial Election Commission helps ensure that elections are administered by rules rather than by the interests of a ruling party. Voters need confidence that electoral rolls are accurate, eligible citizens can participate, and votes are handled fairly. Without that trust, even a properly conducted election may be viewed with suspicion.

The article gives a concrete concern: the resolution says technical manipulation and irregularities could remove voting rights from minorities, migrants, marginalised groups, and young people. It also says serious doubts about the Commission’s impartiality make steps to restore its credibility necessary. These concerns connect electoral administration directly to democratic participation.

The proposed resolution is part of a wider national campaign and ongoing protest seeking the CEC’s removal. It is expected to pass because the UDF and LDF together hold most Assembly seats. Yet the article also notes that no specific allegation about eligible voters being removed during SIR was made in Kerala, showing that national concerns and state-level evidence are not identical.