World | India
Centre trying hard to retain election commissioner
The federal government is fighting against time to ensure continuation of controversial Election Commissioner Navin Chawla in the office.
- By Ajay Jha, Chief Correspondent
- Published: 23:31 February 4, 2008
New Delhi: The federal government is fighting against time to ensure continuation of controversial Election Commissioner Navin Chawla in the office.
Sources in the Election Commission say that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) N. Gopalaswami may recommend Chawla's removal following a petition by the opposition National Democratic Alliance highlighting his close connections with the ruling Congress party.
The government in retaliation has announced its intentions to introduce a constitutional amendment seeking equal status for all three election commissioners, thereby rendering the CEC unable to take any step towards Chawla's removal.
According to rules, the CEC is entitled to recommend removal of any of his subordinates to the president of the country. The CEC's recommendation is binding on the president, who appoints the election commissioners.
The NDA petitioned the CEC seeking Chawla's removal on January 30 following the Supreme Court directive to approach the CEC on the issue while observing that the CEC had powers to decide the issue.
The government is sceptical about how Gopalaswami may act on the issue, which sources in the Election Commission say may go against Chawla.
The government would require a two-thirds majority in parliament to carry out the proposed constitutional amendment, which is highly improbable even if the Left Front decides to go with it.
In normal course Chawla would have become the CEC just weeks before the next general election is due as Gopalaswami would leave office on April 21 next year, upon completion of the retirement age of 65 years.
Chawla's past connections with the Congress party is what is worrying the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and its partners in the NDA, since the government would have its handpicked loyalist occupying the posts of president of the republic and CEC when before general elections in May next year.
Chawla is accused of having tremendous clout in the corridors of power due to his proximity to the Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi. He was appointed to the post in May 2005 defying opposition protests.
The opposition charged the government of politicising a constitutional authority by appointing one of its loyalists to the key post.
Chawla's connections with the Gandhi family go back to the 1970s when during the Emergency he virtually functioned as the de facto Lieutenant Governor of Delhi in his capacity as the Secretary to the then lieutenant governor Kishan Chand.
He was close to Sonia's brother-in-law Sanjay Gandhi, who had emerged as the extra constitutional authority during that period.
Several Congress party lawmakers had donated huge sums to an NGO run by Chawla's wife Rupika Chawla.
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