The National Democratic Alliance on Thursday submitted a memorandum signed by over 200 MPs to President A P J Abdul Kalam demanding the immediate removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla for his alleged links with the ruling Congress party.

'The Election Commission must be absolutely impartial. It must also appear to be impartial,' the memorandum, signed by 205 members from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, said.

They demanded Chawla's removal under various constitutional provisions.

Long before he became an election commissioner, Chawla had accepted funds from MPs local area development funds for some trusts run by him and his family.

The BJP had also distributed pages from Justice J C Shah's report in its bid to prove that Chawla, who was appointed election commissioner in 2004, had close contacts with the Congress party and that his role during the Emergency had come under the commission's scrutiny.

'We expect that the President will discuss the issue with the Chief Election Commissioner and make a decision,' Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Lal Kishenchand Advani told reporters after the 30-minute meeting.

NDA convener George Fernandes [Images], Shiromani Akali Dal leader S S Dhindsa, besides BJP President Rajnath Singh and senior leaders Sushma Swaraj and V K Malhotra, were among those who met Kalam.