Many in Cong want Chawla as CEC

1 Feb 2009,

NEW DELHI: With a history of hostility between CEC N Gopalaswami and Navin Chawla, there was a view in Congress that the latter be named as the "CEC-designate" amid lurking suspicion that the outgoing chief could embarrass the establishment ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

On Saturday, Congress defended Chawla strongly and indicated that he would continue.

It was felt that removing doubts on elevation of Chawla by naming him as the next CEC would pre-empt a revival of BJP campaign that a "Congress partisan" should not take over the election watchdog.

The apprehension was expressed in suggestions made by Congress leader Salman Khurshed recently during the Lok Sabha preparations to party troubleshooter Pranab Mukherjee.

It was felt the Centre nominate a new Election Commissioner around now against the vacancy to be created by Gopalaswami's retirement and in the process also seal the issue of future CEC. Given that the post would fall vacant in the middle of humunguous Lok Sabha exercise and the model code of conduct, there was sufficient cover to name the new EC without the Centre being seen as "too anxious" to clinch Chawla's elevation.

The fears of a controversy existed in many influential quarters in the ruling structure.

But, sources said, seniors settled against the suggestion as they just did not feel Gopalaswami could do an adverse act so close to retirement and risk his credibility.

In fact, there were hopes in Congress that CEC could himself name Chawla to settle the issue of "continuity" for Lok Sabha polls.

With the issue blowing up with Gopalaswami's recommendation to the President, Congress rubbished it as a motivated act with a political slant to it. "That it has come just two months before the CEC is to be succeeded raises suspicions about the accusation," Khurshed said.

The party indicated that Chawla would continue in his post. "He has been most impartial in his actions," said Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary.

The Congress leaders were in a dilemma in reacting to the political drama, as rebuffing CEC or defending Chawla risked betraying a special party interest in the election officer under attack. So, while few were ready to speak, the view was that constitutional offices should not be politicised and guns were thus trained on BJP.

A cautious AICC did not drag Gopalaswami in its defence of Chawla as an "impartial" functionary but it has no love lost for the CEC, who is seen as an "LK Advani appointee". He is seen as the villain of the piece in party's loss in Karnataka, where he "misled" the Congress into early notification of delimitation, while he is seen as having tried to overrule the Centre on Kashmir.