Targetting the Narendra Modi-led Union government over the resignation of Arun Goel as an Election Commissioner, Opposition parties on March 10 asked whether Mr. Goel stepped down due to differences with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and the Union government, or whether he did so to contest an election.
“The resignation of Arun Goel as Election Commissioner last evening raises three questions,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Did he actually resign over differences with the Chief Election Commissioner or with the Modi Government, which does the front-seat driving for all supposedly independent institutions? Or did he resign for personal reasons? Or did he, like the Calcutta High Court Judge a few days back, resign to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket?” Mr. Ramesh asked, referring to Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who joined the BJP days after resigning as a judge of the Calcutta High Court.
‘Blow to democracy’
Asked about Mr. Goel’s resignation, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that one has to wait to see what he does in the coming days. “I was thinking that after the High Court judge resigned and joined the BJP the next day and started abusing the Trinamool Congress. It shows that the BJP has appointed people with such a mindset. Now the Election Commissioner has resigned, let us wait for some time to see what he does,” Mr. Kharge said.
Mr. Ramesh also added that, for eight months now, the Election Commission had refused to meet with parties from the Opposition INDIA bloc to discuss the need for a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) that is “essential to prevent electronic voting manipulation”.
“Each passing day in Modi’s India deals an added blow to democracy and democratic institutions,” he alleged.
ECI has single member
In a statement, the Politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said that it was “alarmed by the sudden development within the Election Commission of India... With one of the Commissioner positions already vacant, this creates a situation where the Commission is presently represented by a single member, the Chief Election Commissioner.”
All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi also demanded answers from Mr. Goel and the government over the resignation just ahead of the Lok Sabha election. “The Election Commission was supposed to announce the dates for the Lok Sabha elections anytime after March 13. Suddenly, this resignation happened. It would be better if he [Arun Goel] himself or the government would tell the reason behind the resignation,” Mr. Owaisi said.
‘ECI has become BJP branch’
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut accused the Election Commission of partisanship. “In the last 10 years, the Election Commission has been privatised. It has become a branch of the BJP,” Mr Raut alleged. “Like the BJP’s people have been appointed in the High Courts, Supreme Court, Governor’s house, in the same manner, they will appoint two of their BJP people here too,” he claimed.
Former Law Minister and Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said that it was a worrying development. “Way cleared to: Pack the Commission with Yes men. This applies to all institutions that are the foundations of our Republic!” he said on X.
Questioning the resignation, Trinamool Congress member Sagarika Ghose asked, ”What message does this send about the world’s largest democracy?”
