New Delhi: The opposition INDIA bloc is set to step up its ongoing campaign against the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls with a public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation on Friday (October 30), ahead of its rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday (November 1).The public impeachment will be held at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence, after attempts to hold the event at Ramlila Maidan and Ashoka Hotel did not receive permission from authorities. A meeting of INDIA bloc leaders was held at Kharge’s residence on Thursday to give final contours to the plan for Friday.The Wire has learnt that at the programme, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar will preside over the proceedings. Kharge, who is also leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha will begin the proceedings, while leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will give the concluding remarks. The public impeachment will see members of the INDIA bloc speaking, including the participation of civil society members as well as public testimonies of those who have been affected by the SIR.The Wire had reported earlier this month that opposition members at the INDIA bloc meeting on October 14 made suggestions on holding a mock parliament, public hearing-like proceedings at Ramlila Maidan which would include testimonies from disenfranchised voters from different states, as well as an impeachment motion against Kumar. That meeting was also attended by student organisation leaders including AISA president Neha Bora, SFI’s Aishe Ghosh, and civil society activists Yogendra Yadav, lawyer Prashant Bhushan apart from opposition leaders.Since then, however, opposition members have decided to not call it a “mock parliament”, so as to not mock parliament, and instead have termed it public impeachment.Also read: CJP Extends Support to November 1 INDIA Bloc Protest: ‘For Every Adult Citizen’s Right to Vote’The public impeachment comes after the opposition notice to move an impeachment motion against Kumar, given in the Rajya Sabha in April and signed by 73 MPs, is still pending. That notice was given after two separate notices submitted in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on March 12, which accused Kumar of “misbehaviour”, were rejected on April 6. The notice in the upper house was signed by 63 MPs, while the one in the Lok Sabha was signed by 130 MPs.Friday’s event comes after a brief lull in the protests against Gyanesh Kumar with the onset of the festive season. Through October, opposition parties, student organisations and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had led widespread protests demanding the CEC’s resignation following the revelations in The Indian Express’ report last month that reported that the two Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had objected 14 times in 10 months to the conduct of the SIR, and against centralised decision making, often without their knowledge. Opposition protests were met with police detentions, and police brutality. The public impeachment will see opposition parties and student organisations come together once again. On Thursday, the CJP had extended its support to the public meeting at Ramlila Maidan scheduled to be held on Sunday. Earlier this month, Gandhi had also categorically said that there are no “parallel protests”, that there is “only one protest” and its mission is to remove Gyanesh Kumar.Gandhi has separately issued an appeal on Thursday asking all groups and citizens to join the rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday. “Don’t worry about police lathis,” he said. “I urge all student groups, regardless of your political affiliation – if you feel that India is under attack, if you feel you are under attack, your expression, your ideas, your way of thinking is under attack, come and join us,” he said.