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Arun Goel assumed charge as Election Commissioner (EC) of India on November 21, 2022.
There has been no official communication on why Goel resigned as well as what the plan is for the appointment of the new ECs
In a sudden move, Election Commissioner Arun Goel has resigned from his position, and the same has been accepted by the President with immediate effect, as per a Gazette notification issued late on Saturday.
His resignation came not just days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls announcement but also within a month of Anup Pandey’s retirement as the Election Commissioner, leaving Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar alone in the three-member commission.
“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 9th of March, 2024,” the notification by the Union Law and Justice Ministry reads.
There has been no official communication on why he resigned as well as what the plan is for the appointment of the new ECs.
The terms of the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, and Sikkim will end in June.
These four states will witness simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In 2019, the elections were announced on March 10, while the counting of votes took place on May 23.
Goel had joined the ECI team in November 2022 amid controversies. On November 18, 2022, the 1985-batch IAS officer, Goel, was given Voluntary Retirement from Service. A day later, the President appointed him as the Election Commissioner.
On November 21, 2022, he took charge of the office, and two days later, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to produce the original files related to his selection.
In August 2023, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the appointment of Goel, saying that a Constitution bench had already examined the process.
A five-judge Constitution bench was hearing a batch of petitions recommending reforms in the process of appointment of members of the Election Commission of India.
On November 24, 2022, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict and asked the parties to file written submissions in five days. The SC, time and again, has said that it is not against the appointment of Goel but only the process.
In March 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that the appointment of the Commission — ECE and ECs — will be taken by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition, and Chief Justice of India. Later, a bill regarding the same was approved by the Parliament.
The new appointments in the commission will be done based on the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023.
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