New Delhi: The sudden retirement of Anoop Chandra Pandey and Arun Goyal from the Election Commission has left two commissioner positions vacant. Now, only Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar remains on the three-member panel. President Draupadi Murmu accepted their resignations on Saturday, following a notification from the Ministry of Law.
According to Election Commission sources, a selection committee, led by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, will prepare two separate panels of five names each for the two vacant positions. Later, the Prime Minister-led selection committee, including a Central Minister and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury, will finalize the appointments for Election Commissioners. The nominated names will be sent to the President after the committee’s meeting on March 13 or 14, with the appointments expected by March 15.
On March 15, at 6 PM, a meeting under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership is scheduled regarding the vacant Election Commissioner positions. Additionally, on the morning of the same day at 10:15 AM, a meeting with the Election Commission’s Lok Sabha observer will discuss election preparations, with the Election Commission directing the Lok Sabha observer on electoral arrangements.
With the recent implementation of a new law governing the appointment of CEC and EC, appointments were traditionally made based on the President’s recommendation. Before the law, the most senior member was appointed as the CEC. The sudden resignation of Arun Goyal has raised questions, with sources suggesting it could be due to personal reasons. Sources dismissed rumors of differences between Arun Goyal and Rajiv Kumar. Goyal, who resigned on Friday morning, did not attend a crucial meeting between the Election Commission, top officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and railway authorities to ensure smooth conduct of elections across India.
Check here for the latest updates in Hindi!