Click to play videoNew Delhi: Outgoing Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami will soon be replaced by Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla.
After a bitter controversy between Chawla and the out going CEC the battle lines were clearly drawn between the two. The ‘heir apparent’ Naveen Chawla won in the end.
Scorching all speculation if there was any, President Pratibha Patil rejected the recommendation of Gopalaswami after the law ministry forwarded its views.
Gopalaswami's term ends on April 20, 2009. That means a major part of the elections to the 15th General Assembly will be held under Chawla's supervision.
There was always apprehension within the section of the ruling coalition that the takeover by NC would not be a smooth one. That is also the reason why there was a suggestion that Chawla should be named as the CEC even before the current CEC retires.
This transfer of power in the election commission has been both painful and controversial. Naveen Chawla perhaps does not enjoy the confidence of the main opposition party, the BJP.
“This unfortunate decision has beeen as a result of the government's intervention,” said BJP spokes person Prakash Javadekar.
The saffron party had gone so far to announce that it would remove Chawla if it came to power.
To the BJP Chawla is too close to the Congress for comfort.
For the NDA it's definitely a setback.
The CEC plays a vital role in Indian democracy but BJP sources say the government's choice doesn't mean the battle over the CEC’s post is over.
They will continue to agitate over Chawla's alleged partisan role;
The Congress brushes aside these allegations as political grandstanding.
Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “It is futile for the BJP to raise it again. The BJP is accustomed and habituated to attacking constitutional institutions deliberately before the elections to create instability.”
Sudhakar Rao, the chief secretary of Karnataka is tipped to be the new election commissioner.
The Election Commission had been winning praise for smooth conduct of polls over the past several years. This skirmish has cast a shadow on its impartial functioning on the eve of the big general elections.
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