Arun Goel could be contesting the elections on a BJP ticket, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Sunday reacting to the resignation of Election Commissioner ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
On Saturday, Goel resigned from his post as the Election Commissioner.
Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications questioned the move saying that there could be only four reasons for Goel’s resignation. Ramesh also said that the Election Commission is a constitutional institution, and it should be a fair one.
Taking to news agency ANI, Ramesh said, “I could think of four possible reasons for this. First, there could have been some differences between the Chief Election Commissioner and him. Secondly, could the Modi government, which drives the panel, have fallen out with him?”
“Third, he could have resigned for personal reasons and lastly, he could be contesting the elections on a BJP ticket,” he added.
Ramesh also said that there will be more clarity about the reason for Goel’s resignation in the upcoming days. “There will be more clarity in the next few days.”
Ramesh took to X (formerly Twitter) questioning the Election Commissioner’s resignation.
In his post, the Congress leader wrote: “Did he actually resign over differences with the Chief Election Commissioner or with the Modi Govt, which does the front-seat driving for all supposedly independent institutions? 2. Or did he resign for personal reasons? 3. 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?”
Each passing day in Modi’s India deals with an added blow to democracy and democratic institutions, Jairam Ramesh said slamming the BJP-led Centre.
“The Election Commission has for 8 months now refused to meet with INDIA parties on the issue of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPATs) that are so very essential to prevent Electronic Voting Manipulation (EVM),” he said.
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Published: 10 Mar 2024, 03:56 PM IST