Rahul Gandhi has intensified his fight against the Election Commission, alleging large-scale irregularities in the 2024 elections that helped the BJP win. His stand echoes what the YSR Congress has long claimed about the polls.
At a meeting chaired by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, opposition parties agreed to push for an impeachment motion against the Chief Election Commissioner. As per the Constitution, such a motion needs support from 50 Rajya Sabha MPs or 100 Lok Sabha MPs and must be passed with a two-thirds majority.
This poses a huge dilemma for YSR Congress. Jagan Mohan Reddy faces pressure to back the motion since his party too has accused the Election Commission of bias. Yet supporting it could anger the BJP leadership and trigger political consequences.
Critics point out that despite repeated allegations, YSR Congress has not taken the issue to the Supreme Court. If the party avoids supporting the motion, it risks being exposed as weak on election integrity. If it supports, it risks retaliation from central agencies like CBI and ED.
Jagan may justify abstaining by saying he does not trust Rahul Gandhi, especially after claiming there is a political hotline between Chandrababu Naidu, Rahul Gandhi, and Revanth Reddy. But staying neutral could damage YSR Congress’s credibility further on EVM and poll-related issues.
The opposition cannot move the impeachment immediately since the current session is ending soon. Such a motion requires at least 14 days’ notice, meaning it can only be tabled in the winter session. For now, Jagan has time to make his move.
