CEC Rajiv Kumar reacts to 'friend' Arun Goel's sudden resignation: 'Dissent in commission...'

In his first reaction to the abrupt resignation by Arun Goel as the Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, the Chief Election Commissioner, said on Saturday that "Mr Arun was a distinguished team member of our team". He said Goel's "personal space" should be respected.

Calling Goel his "friend", Kumar said, "I thoroughly enjoyed working with him all the time."

"But in every institution, somebody will have to be given personal space and I am sure that the personal space should not be touched and one should not be insensitive to ask personal questions. If he had personal reasons, it is fine, you must respect it," Rajiv Kumar said.

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He thanked his predecessors and noted that there's one “sound tradition” in the commission that "dissent within commission is encouraged".

Kumar said that "...because it's such a complicated exercise in the world...three minds are always better than one. We discuss, we sleep over issues, we take time...and you must keep those around you who criticises you."

Rajiv Kumar was speaking at a press conference on Saturday held to announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The polls will be held in seven phases. The first phase will be held on April 19. The second phase will be held on April 26 and the third phase on May 7 covering 12 states and union territories, the Election Commission announced.

Arun Goel resigned as the Election Commissioner earlier in March, just ahead of Lok Sabha polls.  He had assumed charge as Election Commissioner on November 21, 2022. He is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1985 batch, Punjab cadre.

Former IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Sandhu were appointed as new election commissioners on Thursday. A selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recommend their names.