The Hindu : Krishnamurthy is next CEC

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 20, 2004

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Krishnamurthy is next CEC

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 19. T.S. Krishnamurthy, the seniormost among the Election Commissioners, will succeed J.M. Lyngdoh as the next Chief Election Commissioner. Mr. Lyngdoh retires on February 6. The decision puts an end to a raging controversy over the Vajpayee Government's efforts to bring in someone from outside the Election Commission as the next CEC.

A formal announcement will be made on the President's return here late tonight, according to official sources.

The Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is believed to have overruled his seniormost political and ministerial colleagues who were insisting that the ruling party was within its right to have a Chief Election Commissioner of its choice. Till today, they were in favour of bringing in "an outsider" to head the Commission. The argument was that the ruling party should avoid the risk of another "Lyngdoh" as it prepared for the Lok Sabha election.

However, Mr. Vajpayee had before him the other point of view that there was considerable merit in honouring the tradition of the senior-most Election Commissioner getting promoted to the top slot. The Opposition parties had already reacted adversely to the reports that the Government was proposing to bring in an outsider. A controversy over the "outsider" option would have detracted from the so-called "Vajpayee factor."

Also, it was an open secret that the two incumbent Election Commissioners — Mr. Krishnamurthy and B.B. Tandon — did not share all of Mr. Lyngdoh's views and perceptions.

The Vajpayee Government now has to decide who fills the vacancy caused by the elevation of Mr. Krishnamurthy. For now, three senior Secretaries in key Ministries are deemed to be in the race. The Government is likely to take a decision well in advance, so that a new and full Commission is in place by February 7 to address the task of organising the general elections.

PM postpones visit

The Vajpayee Government has already announced its intention to seek a vote-on-account in the first week of February. Today, it was officially announced that the Prime Minister had postponed his scheduled visit to Australia and Thailand, confirming the Government's anxiety to rush the election schedule.

By the time the Election Commission gets reconstituted, Mr. Vajpayee will have advised the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha.

The new Election Commission then will be charged with the responsibility of holding the Lok Sabha elections as soon as feasible. Mr. Vajpayee has already indicated his preference that a new government be in place by the end of April.

It is up to the Election Commission to see how far this political advice can be accommodated.

`Free polls my priority'

CHENNAI JAN. 19. "Our anxiety will be to conduct the general elections at the earliest. At the moment, I will not be able to give any commitment as we will have to discuss [the polls] with the Union Home Ministry and the State Governments before announcing the firm dates," said T.S. Krishnamurthy, the newly-appointed Chief Election Commissioner.

In an informal chat with reporters here, Mr. Krishnamurthy said his first priority was to conduct free and fair elections.

The Election Commission was a collective organisation, he said and added that "whatever decision we take, we three will take the decision. ... "

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