Keralam Assembly to move resolution seeking removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar

The Keralam Assembly will take up a resolution on Monday urging the Centre to initiate steps to remove Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.

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It also seeks to restore the voting rights of eligible voters who were left out of the electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).


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Chief Minister V D Satheesan will move the resolution under Rule 118 when the second session of the 16th Legislative Assembly begins, according to the Assembly's bulletin.

The opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) has decided to support the resolution, according to a TOI report. Its passage is therefore certain. In the 140-member House, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) has 102 MLAs, the CPI(M)-led LDF has 35 and the BJP has three.

Three demands

The resolution makes three demands of the Union government and the Election Commission of India (ECI).

First, it seeks steps to remove Kumar as CEC. Second, it wants the voting rights of all eligible voters struck off the rolls to be reinstated after the anomalies in the SIR process are corrected.

Third, it asks for the selection committee for the CEC and other Election Commissioners to be reconstituted. The panel would include the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.

What the resolution alleges

The resolution expresses serious concern that lakhs of eligible citizens were removed from the rolls without clear criteria or prior notice. It says marginalised communities, minorities, migrant workers and young voters have been hit hardest by errors and alleged irregularities in the exercise.

According to the TOI report, the resolution also alleges that the ECI's reliance on software systems has weakened the statutory powers of electoral registration officers, who prepare the rolls. It refers to media reports that Form 6 was amended in violation of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. It also notes reports that some members of the Commission had disagreed with its decisions.

The resolution says the Election Commission, as a constitutional body, must function independently and impartially without yielding to government influence. It says doubts over the Commission's impartiality make it necessary to act to restore its credibility. It warns that irregularities in the rolls could undermine the people's mandate, and it calls for immediate corrective measures.

Removal process

Under Article 324(5) of the Constitution, the CEC can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge. This requires a motion in Parliament passed by a special majority. A resolution of a state Assembly is not binding on the Centre.

Kumar took charge as CEC in February 2025. He was appointed under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023. The law provides for a selection panel of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Cabinet minister nominated by the Prime Minister. The Supreme Court had directed in March 2023 that the Chief Justice of India be part of the panel until Parliament framed a law. The 2023 law did not include the Chief Justice.

Earlier resolution against SIR

In September 2025, the Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution against the SIR, moved by the then LDF government under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. It was also moved under Rule 118. It urged the Election Commission to drop its decision to roll out the SIR across the country.

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The resolution said the move raised serious concern that the SIR was aimed at implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) indirectly. Keralam became the first Assembly in the country to bring a resolution against the SIR.

The latest move comes amid a national campaign and protest seeking Kumar's removal, in which both the Congress and the CPI(M) are taking part.

(With inputs from TOI)