‘Quit for BJP ticket?: Arun Goel’s exit as election commissioner ahead of polls sparks buzz

NEW DELHI: The resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel has sparked buzz in political circles, just days before the announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Speculations have emerged regarding the reasons behind his resignation, with the Congress and other opposition parties questioning whether it was due to differences with the Chief Election Commissioner or the Modi government.
Some opposition leaders have even suggested that Goel might have resigned to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh raised three key questions about Goel’s resignation.
“The resignation of Arun Goel as Election Commissioner last evening raises three questions,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said.
“Did he actually resign over differences with the Chief Election Commissioner or with the Modi Government, which does the front-seat driving for all supposedly independent institutions? Or did he resign for personal reasons?
“Or did he, like the Calcutta High Court Judge a few days back, resign to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
The Congress leader further criticized the Election Commission for refusing to meet with political parties for the past eight months to discuss the issue of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), a crucial measure to prevent ‘electronic voting manipulation’.
“Each passing day in Modi’s India deals an added blow to democracy and democratic institutions,” he alleged.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed his curiosity about Goel’s future plans and drew comparisons to the recent resignation of a high court judge who immediately joined the BJP.
“I was thinking that after the high court judge resigned and joined the BJP the next day and started abusing the TMC. It shows that the BJP has appointed people with such a mindset. Now the election commissioner has resigned, let us wait for some time to see what he does,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut alleged that the Election Commission had become an extension of the BJP and highlighted the drastic change from the time of TN Seshan, who ensured impartiality in elections as the watchdog.
“In the last 10 years, the Election Commission has been privatised. It has become a branch of the BJP,” he alleged.
Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of the AIMIM, demanded an explanation from Goel and the government for his resignation just before the Lok Sabha elections.
“It would be better if he (Arun Goel) himself or the government would tell the reason behind the resignation ahead of the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
TMC leader Saket Gokhla also questioned the timing of Goel’s resignation and alleged a conspiracy by the BJP to manipulate the elections in West Bengal.
Independent MP Kapil Sibal expressed concern over the resignation and the potential consequences of filling the Election Commission with individuals who align with the government’s interests.
“Way cleared to: Pack the Commission with Yes men. This applies to all institutions that are the foundations of our Republic!” he said on X.
“To abruptly resign like this at the cusp of the Lok Sabha elections is something we should be worried about, because normally this would not happen. Maybe the reasons cited by him that he has resigned for personal reasons are genuine. But, it is unlikely…,” Sibal said.
“There is also a possibility that there was some element of disagreement between him and the chief election commissioner in the context of elections in West Bengal. I do not know the real reason, but that is speculation.
Arun Goel resigned on Saturday, days before the expected announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While his reasons for stepping down remain unknown, his tenure was until December 5, 2027, and he would have become the Chief Election Commissioner upon the retirement of Rajiv Kumar in February next year.
With the resignation of Goel and the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey, the Election Commission now consists of only one member, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.