THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a revelation that could put Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar further in the spotlight, former Kerala chief secretary Jiji Thomson has said that Kumar once offered him a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidacy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Thomson, who retired as chief secretary in 2016, said the offer was made during a flight to Delhi that year, when Kumar proposed that he contest as a BJP candidate from Pathanamthitta in the 2019 polls. He said the offer came while he was still serving as chief secretary.
"It happened in 2016. We were together on a flight to Delhi. Back then, I was serving as the chief secretary. He asked me about my future plans, and asked me if I could contest for the BJP in the 2019 LS election. He said once I win I could become a central minister. I promptly declined the offer, as I was not interested in contesting elections," Thomson told the media.
"I was surprised. It's not an offer that should come from him," he added.
The revelation has triggered further demands for Kumar's resignation. Former Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Teekaram Meena, who is also Kumar's IAS batchmate, demanded that the CEC step down.
The renewed calls for Kumar's resignation follow a media report which revealed that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected on record at least 14 times over the past 10 months to decisions and orders issued without their knowledge.
The objections related to changes to statutory voter registration Form 6 and the centralisation of control over the electoral roll database, according to the report.
The Election Commission, however, has said its official orders, decisions and administrative directions carry full legal sanction, and that differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberations within any institution.
