The Opposition is now planning to submit the notice to impeach chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in both Houses of Parliament and has already gathered more than the required number of signatures from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members.

Earlier, the plan was to submit the notice only to the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

The Trinamool Congress is leading the initiative and all the INDIA bloc parties are on board. Opposition sources did not specify when the notices would be submitted but it is likely to be this week itself. There is also no clarity on whether the notice will be submitted in both Houses on the same day. Over 100 MPs have signed up in the Lok Sabha and more than 50 in the Rajya Sabha.

While the Opposition has toyed with the idea in the past, it has gathered steam during the post-recess budget session. The impeachment notice against Kumar is expected to cite the alleged chaos caused by the SIR during his tenure, along with broader allegations of manipulation of electoral rolls.

The move is largely symbolic and is unlikely to succeed in either House even if admitted, given the BJP-led NDA’s numerical strength in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The procedure for impeaching a chief election commissioner is the same as that for removing a Supreme Court judge, as provided under Article 124(4) of the Constitution and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.

If the notice is admitted in either House, the presiding officer — the Speaker in the Lok Sabha or the Chairman in the Rajya Sabha — will constitute a three-member committee to examine the allegations against the CEC. If the notice is submitted in both Houses on the same day, a committee can be formed only if it is admitted in both Houses, in which case it will be constituted jointly by the Speaker and the Chairman.

If such a committee is set up, the CEC will be given an opportunity to defend himself before the panel finalises its report. The report will then be tabled in the House where the notice originated, or in both Houses in the case of a joint committee. If the committee finds the charges proven, a motion for removal will be taken up along with the report. The motion must be passed by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting, provided it also constitutes more than 50 per cent of the total strength of the House. Both Houses must pass the motion before it is sent to the President for assent.