In a dramatic move Punjab cadre retired IAS officer resigns as election commissioner of India
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/March 9,2024
In a dramatic move weeks before the Lok Sabha polls, one of the Election Commissioner of India Arun Goel , retired IAS has resigned from the post and his resignation has been accepted by the President. The Election Commission of India already had a vacancy and will now be left only with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
Goel’s resignation comes at a time when the three-member Commission was down to two after the retirement of Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in February.
The Election Commission is now headed only by the Chief Election Commissioner (Rajiv Kumar) and no election commissioners. “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 09th March, 2024,” the gazette notification issued on Saturday read.
As per clause (1) of Section 11 of the law, the Chief Election Commissioner or an Election Commissioner may, at any time, resign from office by giving it in writing to the President.
Apart from the high-stakes Lok Sabha election, the Commission will also have to conduct the state elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
In a dramatic move Punjab cadre retired IAS officer resigns as election commissioner of India. Goel, a 1985-batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre had taken voluntary retirement on November 18, 2022, and was appointed Election Commissioner a day later. He was working as a secretary Heavy Industry and on deputation to Central government, from where he resigns. His appointment had been challenged in the Supreme Court, which had asked the government what the “tearing hurry” was.
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