Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Election Commissioner Arun Goel on Saturday resigned from a key post in the poll body, weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Goel's resignation has been accepted by the President.
"President accepts the resignation tendered by Arun Goel, Election Commissioner with effect from the 9th March 2024," informed Ministry of Law & Justice.
According to an official notification, the Ministry of Law and Justice informed, "In pursuance of clause (1) of Section 11 of The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, the President is pleased to accept the resignation tendered by Arun Goel, Election Commissioner with effect from March 9, 2024.
Arun Goel's tenure was till December 2027.
It was not immediately known why he stepped down. Goel, a retired bureaucrat, was a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre. He had joined the Election Commission in November 2022. Following the retirement of Anup Pandey in February and Goel's resignation, the three-member Election Commission panel has now only Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar.
How CEC and ECs are appointed?
According to the new law on the appointment of CEC and ECs, a search committee headed by the law minister and comprising two union secretaries will shortlist five names.
Then a selection committee -- headed by the prime minister and comprising a Union Cabinet Minister to be nominated by the PM, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha or the leader of the single-largest opposition party in the House -- picks one name.
The CEC or EC then gets appointed by the President.
Ashok Lavasa had resigned as election commissioner in August 2020. He had given dissent notes on various model code violations decisions taken by the EC in the last Lok Sabha polls. Originally, the commission had only a CEC. It currently consists of the CEC and two election commissioners.
Two additional commissioners were first appointed on October 16, 1989, but they had a very short tenure till January 1, 1990. Later, on October 1, 1993, two additional election commissioners were appointed. The concept of a multi-member EC has been in operation since then, with decision made by a majority vote.
Last year, the Supreme Court had dismissed a plea challenging the appointment of Goel as election commissioner, saying the constitution bench of the apex court had already dealt with the issue.
A five-judge constitution bench headed by Justice (now retired) KM Joseph had perused the file related to Goel's appointment but had refused to quash it even though it had made certain observation.
In March last year, the bench headed by Justice Joseph had ordered the government to bring a law on appointment of CEC and ECs.
This significant development has come just a week ahead of the expected announcement of Lok Sabha elections schedule.
'Election Commission or Election OMISSION?' Congress' jibe at Modi govt
Taking to social media platform X, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge targeted the Modi government after Election Commissioner Arun Goel's resignation and asked, "Election Commission or Election OMISSION?"
In a long note, Kharge asked, "India now has only ONE Election Commissioner, even as Lok Sabha elections are to be announced in few days. Why? As I have said earlier, if we do not stop the systematic decimation of our independent institutions, our democracy DEMOCRACY shall be usurped by DICTATORSHIP! ECI will now be among the last Constitutional institutions to fall."
"Since the new process of selecting the Election Commissioners have now effectively given all the power to the ruling party and the PM, why has the new Election Commissioner not appointed even after 23 of the completion of latter's tenure?" Kharge further asked.
Modi government must answer these questions and come out with a reasonable explanation, Kharge said.
Trinamool Congress raises concern
Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale said it was concerning that two appointments are to be made to the poll panel ahead of the general elections.
"In a sudden move, Election Commissioner Arun Goel has abruptly resigned. The post of the other EC is vacant. That leaves the Election Commission now with just one Chief Election Commissioner," he said in a post on X.
With inputs from PTI
