A senior Trinamool MP on Monday said the Opposition had drafted a notice to move an impeachment motion against chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the chaos caused by the SIR and the larger allegation of manipulating electoral rolls.

The notice could be submitted soon to Rajya Sabha Chairperson C.P. Radhakrishnan, the MP told The Telegraph.

The Trinamool parliamentarian explained: "It's time for all Opposition parties to get together to take strong action against the CEC. Draft for impeachment is ready. The process has begun. The TMC has played an important role in this." Signatures are being collected from Opposition MPs.

The CEC has been in the Opposition's crosshairs, especially after his news conference in August to counter Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegation of poll roll fraud in Karnataka.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had had a showdown with the Election Commission over SIR in Bengal during a visit to New Delhi. The SIR process has taken a far more complicated trajectory than other states and left more than 60 lakh voters in a limbo after being paced in the "under adjudication" category.

Mamata held a media conference here on the sidelines of a protest by people from Bengal who had lost their lives during the SIR or had been wrongly deleted from the rolls.

In response to a query on impeachment, she had replied: "Look, if something is genuine, practical, and is for the benefit of the people, we also want impeachment for him. We don't have the numbers. But impeachment is possible."

Congress general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal had responded to reporters on her remark, saying: "The Trinamool Congress has already contacted the Congress.... I think the entire Opposition will take a call on the matter, which is one of the most relevant issues raised by Trinamool. We are positively looking at it."

The impeachment of a CEC is governed by rules similar to those for removing a Supreme Court judge. At least 100 members of the Lok Sabha and 50 from the Rajya Sabha are required to endorse the notice.

A motion for removal may be introduced in either House of Parliament and must be passed by a special majority, that is, more than half the total membership of the House and two-thirds of the members present and voting.

According to the law on the appointment of the CEC and the election commissioners, "CEC shall not be removed from his office except in the like manner and on the like grounds as a judge of the Supreme Court", and the other election commissioners shall not be removed from office "except on the recommendation of the CEC".