President should sack Navin Chawla: BJP

With Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami recommending the removal of his colleague Navin Chawla, the BJP said the credibility of the poll panel is at stake. Listen to podcast | Should Navin Chawla resign? | Surfers' ResponseTerm of Election Commissioner cannot be disturbed: PC

With Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami recommending the removal of his colleague Navin Chawla, the BJP on Saturday said the 'credibility' of the poll panel is 'at stake' and demanded that President Pratibha Patil should sack him.

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"The credibility of the Election Commission is at stake with the CEC asking for the sacking of one of its members to the President," BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told PTI.

"In the interest of the Constitution, in the interest of democracy, it is important that the President should intervene and take action for removal of Chawla," Rudy said.

"The Election Commission is now mired in controversy. In absence of a firm action, the fairness of the Commission would become a suspect, posing a threat to democracy and Constitution," he said, adding the development also poses a threat to the democratic fabric of the country.

Gopalaswami has recommended the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla to the government for allegedly being "partisan".

The recommendation comes about three months before Gopalaswami is to demit office on April 20 and is based on a petition by the BJP which had complained against the "partisan" functioning of Chawla.

The BJP had alleged that Chawla was close to the Congress party.