Congress Asks Three Questions On Election Commissioner Arun Goel Resignation
On Saturday, in a surprising turn of events just weeks before the Lok Sabha polls 2024, Election Commissioner Arun Goel tendered his resignation, which has been accepted by the President of India. This development leaves the Election Commission of India with only Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, as Mr. Goel’s departure exacerbates an existing vacancy. One seat was already vacant in the coveted office of three Election Commissioners in the country.
Speculation had been rife regarding the announcement of Lok Sabha election dates next week. However, Mr. Goel’s resignation casts uncertainty on that timeline, raising questions about the Commission’s operational capacity amidst the crucial electoral process.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in response to Mr. Goel”s resignation, posed three critical questions:
Did he actually resign over differences with the Chief Election Commissioner or with the Modi Govt, which does the front-seat driving for all supposedly independent institutions?
Or did he resign for personal reasons?
Or did he, like the Calcutta High Court Judge a few days back, resign to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket?
Jairam Ramesh also said the Election Commission has for 8 months now refused to meet with INDIA parties on the issue of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) that are so very essential to prevent Electronic Voting Manipulation (EVM).
“Each passing day in Modi’s India deals an added blow to democracy and democratic institutions,” he added.
Responding to the development, senior journalist and columnist Swati Chaturvedi claimed on an X post that Election Commissioner Arun Goel’s resignation from the post after he had differences with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar on election preparations for West Bengal, a critical state for centre-ruling BJP and Opposition. After quoting sources, Ms Chaturvedi, who had worked with The Statesman, Indian Express and Hindustan Times, said that Arun Goel differed with CEC Rajiv Kumar regarding poll preparations and dates for West Bengal.
Mr. Goel, a seasoned 1985-batch IAS officer, had opted for voluntary retirement on November 18, 2022, and subsequently assumed the role of Election Commissioner a day later. However, his appointment had faced legal challenges, with the Supreme Court questioning the expediency of the process.
The Court had raised concerns over the rapidity of Mr. Goel’s appointment, querying the government’s urgency in the matter. Despite initial scrutiny, the petition challenging his appointment was eventually dismissed by a two-judge bench last year, citing a previous examination by a Constitution Bench.
Recent legislative amendments dictate that the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners are to be appointed by the President of India upon the recommendation of a selection committee. Notably, the selection committee comprises the Prime Minister, the Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition.
Opposition voices have criticized the amended bill, expressing apprehensions that it may pave the way for the appointment of a ‘Yes Man’ as Chief Election Commissioner. This concern arises from the composition of the selection committee, where two out of three members are the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Minister.
