NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday expressed “deep concern” over Election Commissioner Arun Goel’s resignation and stated that if the “systematic decimation” of unbiased establishments isn’t stopped then democracy shall be usurped by dictatorship. Goel resigned on Saturday, days earlier than the anticipated announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.His tenure was until December 5, 2027, and he would have turn into Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after incumbent Rajiv Kumar retired in February subsequent yr. In a put up on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated, “Election Commission or Election OMISSION? India now has only one Election Commissioner, even as Lok Sabha elections are to be announced in few days. Why?” “As I have said earlier, if we do not stop the systematic decimation of our independent institutions, our democracy shall be usurped by dictatorship!” he stated. The ECI will now be among the many final Constitutional establishments to fall, Kharge claimed. “Since the new process of selecting the Election Commissioners have now effectively given all the power to the ruling party and the PM, why has the new Election Commissioner not appointed even after 23 days of the completion of latter’s tenure? Modi government must answer these questions and come out with a reasonable explanation,” the Congress president stated. Congress basic secretary organisation Ok C Venugopal stated in a put up on X, “It is deeply concerning for the health of the world’s largest democracy that Election Commissioner Mr. Arun Goel has resigned on the cusp of the Lok Sabha elections.” There may be completely “no transparency” in how a constitutional establishment just like the ECI has been functioning and the way through which the federal government pressures it, he stated. Throughout the 2019 elections, Ashok Lavasa had dissented towards a clear chit to the PM for violating the Mannequin Code of Conduct, he stated. “Later, he faced relentless inquiries. This attitude shows the regime is hellbent on destroying democratic traditions. This must be explained, and the ECI must be completely non-partisan at all times,” Venugopal stated. Based on a regulation ministry notification, Goel’s resignation has been accepted by President Droupadi Murmu with impact from Saturday. It was not instantly recognized why he stepped down. Goel, a retired bureaucrat, was a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre. He had joined the Election Fee in November 2022. Following the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and Goel’s resignation, the three-member EC has now just one member: CEC Rajiv Kumar.
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