NEW DELHI, 10 Mar: Two election commissioners (EC) are likely to be appointed by 15 March to fill the vacancies created by the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey and the surprise resignation of Arun Goel, sources said on Sunday.
Days before the poll panel is expected to announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls, Goel resigned on Friday morning. His resignation was accepted by President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday and the law ministry issued a notification to announce it.
This leaves Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar as the sole member of the poll authority.
Pandey had demitted office on 14 February on attaining the age of 65 years.
A search committee under Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and comprising the home secretary and the personnel & training department secretary, will first prepare two separate panels of five names each for the two posts.
Later, a selection committee headed by the prime minister and comprising a union minister and leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will then name two persons for appointment as election commissioners.
The election commissioners will be appointed by the president.
Sources said that the selection committee could meet on 13 or 14 March, depending on the convenience of the members, and that the appointments are likely to be made by 15 March.
Before a new law on the appointment of CEC and ECs came into force recently, the election commissioners were appointed by the president on the government’s recommendation and, as per custom, the senior-most was appointed as CEC.
Clause 2 of Article 324 of the Constitution states that the Election Commission of India (ECI) shall consist of the CEC and such number of other EC, if any, as the president may from time to time fix.
Responding to questions on reasons behind Goel’s resignation, the sources said that he might have resigned due to personal reasons.
They also rejected suggestions that there were differences between Goel and Kumar, saying records of internal communication, minutes and decisions show that there was no dissent recorded by Goel.
Goel, who tendered resignation on Friday morning, did not attend the crucial meeting between the EC and top home ministry and railway officials to firm up deployment and movement of central forces across India for poll duty.
Goel was a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre. He had joined the ECI in November 2022. His tenure was till 5 December, 2027, and he would have become the CEC after incumbent Rajiv Kumar retired in February next year.
Ashok Lavasa had resigned as EC in August 2020. He had given dissent notes on various model code violations decisions taken by the ECI in the last Lok Sabha polls.
Originally, the commission had only a CEC. It currently consists of the CEC and two ECs.
Two additional commissioners were first appointed on 16 October, 1989, but they had a very short tenure till 1 January, 1990. Later, on 1 October, 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. (PTI)
