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Arun Goel steps down as election commissioner weeks before Lok Sabha polls
Goel’s term was till November 2027, and he was scheduled to become the chief election commissioner (CEC) in 2025
New Delhi:
Election Commissioner Arun Goel has stepped down from the post, the government said in a notification on Saturday, adding that President Droupadi Murmu has accepted his resignation, which came days before the likely announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
According to a gazette notification by the law ministry, Goel’s resignation came into effect on Saturday. “In pursuance of clause (1) of Section 11 of The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, the President is pleased to accept the resignation tendered by Shri Arun Goel, Election Commissioner with effect from the 09 March 2024,” the notification said.
Goel’s term was till November 2027, and he was scheduled to become the chief election commissioner (CEC) in 2025.
The Election Commission (EC) has at its helm CEC and two election commissioners. After Goel’s resignation, the three-member panel only consisted of chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar, as Anup Chandra Pandey had retired as the election commissioner in February.
Also Read: Arun Goel resigns as election commissioner: Why ex-IAS officer’s appointment was also controversial
It was not immediately known why Goel resigned. A senior EC official, however, said on condition of anonymity that there appeared to be some differences between Goel and Kumar but did not divulge further details. Former CEC SY Quraishi said Goel’s decision to step down from the post just days ahead of the Lok Sabha elections was “very surprising”.
Goel, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, was serving as the secretary in the ministry of heavy industries before he took voluntary retirement on November 18, 2022. He was due to retire on December 31 of the same year. He was appointed as an election commissioner on November 19, 2022.
In April 2023, his appointment was challenged in the Supreme Court by the NGO Association of Democratic Reforms but the petition was eventually dismissed by the top court in August.
The Congress expressed “deep concern” over Goel’s decision. “It is deeply concerning for the health of the world’s largest democracy that Election Commissioner Mr Arun Goel has resigned on the cusp of the Lok Sabha elections,” party general secretary KC Venugopal said in a post on X.
Selection process
Parliament passed a new law on the appointment of CEC and election commissioners in December. The selection process now consists of two committees – a three-member search committee led by the law minister and comprising two government secretaries; and a three-member selection committee headed by the Prime Minister and consisting of a Union minister recommended by the PM and the leader of the opposition.
