Election Commissioner Arun Goel with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar (File Phot)
The three-member Election Fee, for the time being, has only one lively member: Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. Purpose: the shock resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel on Saturday coupled with one other emptiness (retirement of Anup Pandey in February).
The resignation, which has been accepted by the President, comes weeks earlier than the Lok Sabha elections.
The Lok Sabha polls are to be held in April-Could. The dates had been anticipated to be introduced someday subsequent week, sources had advised NDTV.
It isn’t clear what was the provocation behind Mr Goel’s shock resignation. Mr Goel, 61, had a tenure till 2027 and was in line to switch Rajiv Kumar because the Chief Election Commissioner after the latter’s retirement subsequent 12 months.
Mr Goel, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, had joined the Election Fee in November 2022.
Sources have indicated there have been variations on numerous points and it will be finest for the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar to elucidate. High officers stated Mr Goel cited private causes whereas resigning.
”The federal government will begin the method of appointing different election commissioners,” stated an official.
Late final 12 months, the Centre enacted a regulation that excluded the Chief Justice of India from the method to nominate the nation’s prime election officers. The highest ballot officers at the moment are to be appointed by the President on the advice of a panel comprising the Prime Minister, Chief of Opposition in Lok Sabha and a Union Cupboard Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
Earlier than {that a} search committee, consisting of the regulation minister and two secretaries should brief listing 5 names for the choice committee headed by the Prime Minister to selected from.
The highest ballot physique was set to go to Jammu and Kashmir from Monday to Wednesday to evaluate when polls may be held within the Union Territory, sources had advised NDTV. Sources added that the Lok Sabha ballot dates had been to be introduced proper after the completion of J&Ok go to.