India's Election Commissioner quits before general election
One of India’s top election Commissioner has resigned ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections that are due before May. The reasons behind Goel's sudden departure on Saturday remain undisclosed.
The country's primary opposition party has raised concerns, accusing the government of a 'systematic decimation of independent institutions' following the resignation of the second-highest official in the Election Commission just days before the anticipated announcement of the general election date.
Arun Goel's exit leaves the Election Commission of India (ECI) with only one of its three mandated top officials in place to oversee the colossal task of conducting the world's largest election, involving more than 960 million registered voters.
The Ministry of Law and Justice, in a gazette notification, announced that President Droupadi Murmu had accepted Goel's resignation without specifying the rationale behind his decision.
Goel became election commissioner in November 2022 and was not due to retire before December 2027. has not yet made a public statement on his resignation. An election commission spokesperson expressed unawareness regarding the reasons prompting Goel's departure.
Indian Premier Narendra Modi is seeking a rare third straight term in office in the general election, due by May.
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