The appointments of two election commissioners are likely to take place by March 15. According sources a meeting of the panel which will select election Commissoner's is scheduled on March 15 at 6 pm.
The vacancies have been created due to retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February this year and due to sudden resignation of Arun Goel yesterday. Currently, only chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar is left in the three-member election commission of India.
Selection committee to appoint election commissioners
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.
Who are in the fray for election commissioners?
According to sources, a large of number retired and serving bureaucrats at the brink of retirement have lined up to try their luck for the post. Officers who are among the favourites include former Chief of the Enforcement Directorate Sanjay Kumar Mishra (Retd IRS IT: 1984), former CBDT Chief P C Mody (Retd IRS IT: 1982) and JB Mohapatra (Retd IRS IT L: 1985).
Apart from that, NIA Chief Dinkar Gupta (IPS: 1986: PB) and Radha S Chauhan (IAS: 1988: UP) are also being considered for the coveted positions.
Why Arun Goel resigned?
There are many theories doing round as to why Arun Goel, who was due to retire in December 2027, retired suddenly. Sources said that he had big differences with the chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar, who is due to retire next year in February. Due to differences Goel didn't want to continue.
There are others who are saying that government demanded his resignation as the matter of electoral bonds was defended well in the Supreme Court.
People are wondering as the Modi government changed rules to appoint Arun Goel, who took voluntary retirement from the post of secretary heavy industries and was immediately appointed as election commissioner. He was the first commissioner, who was appointed by the new panel constituted after changing law from parliament. The panel earlier had prime minister, chief justice of India and leader of opposition as members of the panel. The Modi government changed the panel and replaced chief justice of India with a cabinet minsiter recommended by the prime minister.
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