The Kerala Legislative Assembly on Monday, October 12, passed a resolution seeking proceedings to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Moved by Chief Minister V D Satheesan in Thiruvananthapuram, the resolution is being described as perhaps the first of its kind by any state legislature in the country, and it lands in the middle of the fierce national row over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
What the resolution demands
Satheesan moved the motion under Rule 118 of the Assembly's rules of procedure. It makes three main demands:
- Restore voting rights urgently to eligible voters who were wrongly left out of the electoral rolls.
- Start proceedings to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
- Reconstitute the selection committee for the CEC and election commissioners so that it includes the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.
On the last point, the resolution argues that the Union government's later law, which dropped the Chief Justice from the panel, gave the Union Cabinet a built-in majority and weakened the committee's neutrality.
The allegations behind it
The resolution claims that lakhs of eligible citizens were removed from voter lists without proper criteria or prior notice under the SIR exercise, and that marginalised communities, minorities, migrant workers and young voters were hit hardest. Citing media reports, it alleges that the authority of Electoral Registration Officers was bypassed through software systems and that Form 6, which is used to add new names to the rolls, was changed in violation of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
It also argues that keeping eligible people off the rolls goes against Article 326 of the Constitution, which guarantees universal adult suffrage, and against the Representation of the People Act, 1950. These are allegations made by the House; the Election Commission has described some media reports on Form 6 changes as factually incorrect, a point an opposition member sought to add to the resolution.
| Date passed | October 12, 2026 |
| Moved by | Chief Minister V D Satheesan |
| Rule invoked | Rule 118, Kerala Legislative Assembly |
| Supported by | Ruling front and the Left Democratic Front |
| Opposed by | BJP |
| Key target | Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar |
| Context | Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls |
Drama on the floor
The debate was not a formality. BJP legislators B Gopakumar and V Muraleedharan moved amendments that the government rejected, along with amendments from two CPI(M) members. One amendment by Saji Cherian referred to the exclusion of 24 lakh voters and to software called "eci.net". The government did accept a verbal change suggested by Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, replacing the phrase "lakhs of voters were excluded" with "crores of voters".
The Left Democratic Front backed the resolution, while the BJP opposed it. After it passed, Satheesan posted on X that the right to vote is the foundation of democracy. "The right to vote must be protected. The Constitution must be upheld," he wrote, adding, "Kerala stands firmly for free and fair elections."
Why it matters beyond Kerala
A state Assembly has no power to remove the Chief Election Commissioner. Under the Constitution, the CEC can be removed only in the same manner as a Supreme Court judge, which requires a motion passed by a special majority in both Houses of Parliament. In April this year, the Rajya Sabha Chairman and the Lok Sabha Speaker had rejected a notice of motion against Gyanesh Kumar.
So the Kerala resolution is mainly a political signal, but a loud one. It puts an elected state House on record against the head of the poll body at a time when the opposition is running a nationwide campaign. In Delhi, the INDIA bloc has met President Droupadi Murmu seeking Kumar's removal and attempted a march to the Supreme Court, while hundreds have protested in the capital over the past week.
What happens next
The resolution will now be forwarded to the Centre, but it does not bind Parliament or the Election Commission. Watch for whether other opposition-ruled states, such as Karnataka or Telangana, bring similar resolutions, and how the Election Commission responds publicly. The bigger battle over the SIR is also playing out before the Supreme Court, and its directions will shape what happens to the voter lists that are at the heart of the dispute.
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