New Delhi, March 10 -- The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday said the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel right before the Lok Sabha elections raises serious questions.
"A commissioner appointed by the BJP, whose appointment was defended by the BJP-led central government even in the Supreme Court, his resignation just before the Lok Sabha elections raises questions about the reason behind it," Delhi Cabinet minister Atishi told a press conference.
She said Goel was made an Election Commissioner by the BJP government within 24 hours of taking voluntary retirement, and he was to superannuate in 2027.
"Today, the entire country is witnessing how the BJP, at times breaking legislators, at times manipulating elections, at times sending opposition leaders to jail through the ED-CBI, and now attempting to steal elections," she said.
His resignation also raises questions about the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, she added.
Goel resigned on Saturday, days before the expected announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
His tenure was until December 5, 2027, and he would have become Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after the retirement of incumbent Rajiv Kumar in February next year.
It was not immediately known why he stepped down.
Goel was a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre. He joined the Election Commission in November 2022. Following the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and Goel's resignation, the three-member EC now has only one member - CEC Rajiv Kumar.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.