Election Commission Prepares to Fill Vacancies as Arun Goel Resigns

Following the sudden resignation of Arun Goel from his position as Election Commissioner, the government swiftly announced plans to appoint two new commissioners by March 15, according to reports from PTI. This move aims to fill the vacancies left by Goel and the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey.

Goel’s resignation came as a surprise, just days before the Election Commission of India (ECI) was set to unveil the schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for April-May.

President Droupadi Murmu accepted Goel’s resignation on Saturday, as confirmed by a notification from the Law Ministry. This leaves Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar as the sole remaining member of the commission.

A search committee, chaired by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and including the Home Secretary and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Secretary, will compile separate lists of five candidates for each vacant position.

Subsequently, a selection committee, headed by the Prime Minister and including a Union Minister and the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, will finalize the appointments of the two election commissioners.

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Following the selection process, the President will appoint the new commissioners. The selection committee is expected to convene on March 13 or 14, with final decisions made by March 15, according to PTI reports.

Regarding the reason for Goel’s resignation, sources suggested personal reasons as the cause. Claims of disagreements between Goel and Rajiv Kumar were dismissed by these sources, who cited internal records showing no dissent from Goel. However, speculation arose when Goel did not attend a crucial meeting between the EC and top officials from the Home Ministry and Railways regarding the deployment of central forces for poll duty.

Goel, a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, had joined the Election Commission in November 2022. His tenure was expected to last until December 5, 2027, with potential elevation to Chief Election Commissioner after Rajiv Kumar’s retirement in February of the following year.