New Delhi: Former Election Commissioner slammed the recent "interaction" by Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and two Election Commissioners Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on November 16 as "totally wrong and avoidable".
A former Election Commissioner who spoke to ETV Bharat requesting anonymity was of the opinion that this should have never happened considering the sanctity of the Election Commission.
"This is completely wrong and such things should not have happened," he said adding that the meeting could have been avoided.
He said even during his tenure such meetings were called for by the PMO and he had declined to attend them. However, he added that he had sent his subordinates for the meeting.
The former Election Commissioner said he does not care about what the Opposition or the media has to say on this, considering the controversy the meeting has stoked amid elections.
The retired senior official from the EC refused to comment on whether the "interaction" would disrupt the integrity of the EC.
Such meetings are avoidable and this shouldn't have happened. He also emphasized that not even the Parliamentary Committee has ever called CEC or EC. "And this is the first time that a CEC or an EC has attended such a meeting from the government," he said.
The three top officials of the Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and two Election Commissioners, Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, despite expressing their 'reservation' joined an informal meeting which was being called by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on November 16.
Though the trio stayed away from this virtual meet, in which their subordinates were present, the three did join an “informal interaction” with Principal Secretary to PM, P K Mishra, after the Election Commission received an unusually worded letter from an official of the Law Ministry — the administrative Ministry of the poll panel —which stated that the Principal Secretary to PM, PK Mishra, will “chair a meeting” on a common electoral roll and “expects CEC” to be present.
This development has yet again sparked a new controversy raising questions on the propriety and independence of EC.
CEC Chandra and the two Election Commissioners had an “informal interaction” with PK Mishra later—after the Chief Election Commissioner expressed his “displeasure” to the Law Ministry about its note. The phrase from the official note stating that it "expects CEC" to be present has yet again sparked a new political controversy given the time when elections are due in five states in 2022
Article 324 (1) of the Constitution states "The superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of the electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Parliament and to the Legislature of every State and of elections to the offices of President and Vice President held under this Constitution shall be vested in a Commission".
