PM Modi: We made improvements in Election Commission, during Congress rule ...

PM Modi: We made improvements in Election Commission, during Congress rule …

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of appointing people close to the party as election commissioners and claimed that his government had made improvements in the Election Commission.

“Earlier, the Prime Minister used to sign a file and form the Election Commission. And those who were close to their families became election commissioners. We have made improvements in the Election Commission. Today, if the Election Commission is formed, then the opposition is also in it,” PM Modi said in an interview with news agency ANI.

Taking a jibe at the opposition, he said, “So our level play cannot happen, we cannot become like that. We want to go on the right path, we don’t want to go on the wrong path.”

The opposition has accused the Election Commission of “favouring” the BJP.

In March 2023, a five-judge Constitution Bench of the court had ruled that the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs) shall be appointed on the advice of a committee comprising the Prime Minister, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, and the Chief Justice of India.

However, last December, Parliament passed the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 dropping the CJI from the panel. Under the new system, a three-member committee, comprising the Prime Minister, a Union minister and the leader of the opposition selects the three Election Commissioners.

The Centre defended the dropping of CJI from the panel and said the independence of the Election Commission does not arise from the presence of a judicial member on the committee.

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