Let Me Explain

Opposition vs CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Om Birla

Imagine watching a cricket match where the umpire starts favouring one team. Appeals from one side are ignored. Decisions against the other team come instantly. At some point, the players start questioning the umpire.

That’s what happened in India this week.

Two of India’s most powerful constitutional offices became the focus of removal attempts. One runs the Parliament. The other runs elections. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chief Election Commissioner.

When both these offices face removal attempts in the same week, it raises an obvious question: Why are Om Birla and Gyanesh Kumar accused of being partisan? And how difficult is it actually to remove officials holding these positions?

Let me explain.

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Produced by Megha Mukundan, Script by Lakshmi Priya and Pooja Prasanna, Camera by Ajay R, Edit by Dharini Prabharan.

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Also Read: From Kashmir to Ayodhya to SIR: The making of India’s most divisive chief election commissioner