A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court to stop the Central government from appointing a new election commissioner (EC) under the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Terms of Office) Act, 2023.
The petition was filed by Congress leader Jaya Thakur after Arun Goel’s abrupt resignation as EC. This resignation has left the three-member poll panel with only one member. In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha (LS) elections, the resignation is a significant development.
In her plea, Thakur is seeking an SC directive telling the Central government to adhere to the guidelines laid down in its previous judgment, as per which ECs have to be appointed by a panel made up of the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of the Opposition.
Selection panel meet soon?
Meanwhile, according to sources, the Central government could hold a selection committee meeting soon, as early as in the coming week, for selection of a new EC.
Arun Goel resigned as EC in a sudden move on Saturday. He was scheduled to leave for Jammu and Kashmir on March 12 for a review visit. The third position in the Election Commision of India (ECI) fell vacant after the retirement of Anup Pandey last month.
Goel had gone to West Bengal for a review earlier this week but did not attend the post-visit press conference. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar attended the press and announced that Goel was absent owing to “health” reasons.
The opposition is questioning the holding of LS elections with a single-member ECI. However, the ECI can function as a single-member body as per the Constitution.
The ECI is yet to decide whether the LS and Assembly elections should be held simultaneously in J&K. The SC has set a deadline of September 30 to hold assembly elections in the Valley.
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