New Delhi: After the unprecedented
recommendation by his predecessor, Chief Election Commissioner
Navin Chawla wants the Constitution to be amended so that the
removal procedure for the Election Commissioners should be
similar to that of the CEC.
Seven months after he assumed charge in the
Constitutional post, he considers the amendment as a "last
mile" which is a "priority" for him.
In an interview to a news agency, the CEC
spoke his mind on electoral reforms including barring
candidates with criminal background, de-registering
non-serious parties which have mushroomed, how Electronic
Voting Machines (EVMs) are reliable and paid news syndrome in
the media during elections.
Chawla, who assumed the office after the first phase of
Lok Sabha polls after government rejected his predecessor N
Gopalaswami`s recommendations for his removal on the alleged
ground of "partisanship", said he will write to the government
making his recommendations for the Constitutional amendment.
"Now after the Supreme Court judgement in the Seshan
case and after the statutory amendments, I am firmly of the
view that the removal procedure for the other two
Commissioners must also be similar to that of the CEC.
"When there is no difference in our powers, no
difference in our emoluments, when two can overrule the third,
it is just that last mile that needs to be undergone," he
said.
Bureau Report
