India's opposition holds mock impeachment of election chief Gyanesh Kumar over voter-roll revision

India's opposition parties held a mock impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi on Saturday, protesting a nationwide revision of voter rolls that they say could favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP. The exercise has no legal force, but it was followed by a call for a mass opposition rally in Delhi, Dawn reported, and the BBC reported that the rally seeks the election chief's resignation.

What happened

• Where: at the New Delhi residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who said the motion was meant to protect "the dignity of a constitutional institution".
• Who: Congress and allied opposition parties. Rahul Gandhi said they turned to a symbolic motion because they "have nowhere else to go".
• Why: a nationwide revision of the electoral rolls, which has set off a month of political fights and street protests. The opposition says it could remove eligible voters and tilt elections towards the BJP.
• Next: a large opposition rally in Delhi, also backed by an online youth-led movement that opposes the revision.

The other side

The Election Commission says the revision is needed to keep voter lists accurate. Both the commission and the BJP deny the opposition's allegations. Home Minister Amit Shah said the BJP is ready to hold a special session of parliament on the revision and accused the opposition of not wanting to debate it there.

Why a real impeachment is not possible

Under India's constitution, a chief election commissioner can be removed only by parliament, with a special majority in both houses, on the same grounds as a Supreme Court judge. The opposition does not have those numbers, which is why the motion was staged rather than tabled.

Why it matters next door

India is Pakistan's largest neighbour, and a fight over who gets to vote shapes the run-up to its next general election and, with it, the tone of relations with Pakistan. We cover India's politics as it affects readers here on our world desk; for the rupee against regional currencies, use the currency converter.