The resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel on Saturday night not only came as surprise but has paved way for speculations and doubts over the conduct of fair and free polls in the country.
Why should an Election Commissioner quit with only days left for the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls, especially when his tenure ends only on December 5, 2027. If he had not resigned, he would have become Chief Election Commissioner.
Arun Goel has reportedly cited "personal reasons" for his resignation. Reports quoting officials said that Goel is in perfect health.
A law ministry notification said that Arun Goel's resignation has been accepted by President Droupadi Murmu with effect from Saturday, March 9, 2024.
With the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and Goel's resignation, the three-member Election Commission is now reduced to only one member, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
Under the new law governing the appointment of Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners, a search committee led by the law minister and comprising two union secretaries will compile a list of five candidates.
Goel, a retired bureaucrat, served as a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre. He joined the Election Commission in November 2022.
Last year, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging Goel's appointment as an election commissioner, noting that a constitutional bench of the apex court had already addressed the matter. The case was flagged by Prashant Bhushan.
Meanwhile, soon after Goel's resignation, TMC leader Mahua Moitra in a message posted on platform X asked, "Why does EC Arun Goel resign right after ECI's poll review meeting in Kolkata where he left abruptly? Apparently disagreed with Delhi's diktat on num (number) of phases & excessive force deployment. Will now be replaced with hand picked yes man."
Meanwhile, veteran journalist Ravish Kumar stated that since Arun Goel had shown so much courage to resign he should hold a press conference and explain the reason (for his resignation). "Was there any pressure on him?" he asked.