The Selection Committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Thursday to finalise the names of two new Election Commissioners (ECs) to fill the vacancies created in the Election Commission after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and the surprise resignation of Arun Goel last Saturday. Close on the heels of their appointment, the new ECs are expected to join their offices to help the poll body conduct the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The PM-headed panel's meeting will be closely watched in view of the backdrop against which it is being held. On Tuesday, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the only Opposition member in the three-member panel which also includes a Union Minister nominated by the PM, wrote to the government, seeking the “dossier” containing the “bio-profiles” of the shortlisted persons “well before” the meeting, as reported by Manoj C G. In a letter to Rajiv Mani, Secretary, Legislative Department and Department of Legal Affairs, Union Ministry of Law and Justice, Chowdhury is learnt to have referred to the process followed by the government regarding the selection of the Chief Information Commissioner, Information Commissioners, Chief Vigilance Commissioner and Vigilance Commissioners. He asked the government to follow the same procedure. “It will be essential to have the bio-profiles of the persons shortlisted by the Search Committee well beforehand.This will enable in taking a reasoned decision in the matter. I would, therefore, request that the ‘Dossier’ containing the bio-profiles of the shortlisted persons to be considered for appointment be made available to the members well before the meeting,” Adhir stated in his letter. In context: Earlier, the power to make the ECs' appointments rested exclusively with the Executive or the Union government. Ruling on the petitions that were filed before it, which broadly called for a fair and transparent system to choose the ECs, the Supreme Court said on March 2, 2023 that “the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners shall be made by the President on the advice of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition of the Lok Sabha, and in case no Leader of the Opposition is available, the leader of the largest opposition Party in the Lok Sabha in terms of numerical strength, and the Chief Justice of India.” However, the SC specified that these norms were “subject to any law to be made by Parliament”. Subsequently, the government enacted The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, leaving out the CJI from the panel. Farmers' rally at Ramlila Maidan One month into farmers’ call for a march to Delhi over a range of demands that include a legal guarantee of MSP (minimum support price) for crops, among others, the three Delhi borders — Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur — are witnessing heavy deployment of security personnel. On Thursday, however, the Delhi Police has given permission to the protesting farmers to hold a Kisan Mazdoor Mahapanchayat, with the condition that the gathering does not exceed 5,000 in strength. It also directed the farmers to not hold tractor trolleys or march at the Ramlila Maidan, or make security arrangements that may lead to a traffic jam. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), which had spearheaded the 2020-21 farmers' protest at Delhi borders against the three now-repealed central farm laws, has said the Ramlila Maidan meeting will see the passing of a resolution to "intensify the fight" against the policies of the government. Kovind panel report The high-level committee on “one nation, one election” headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind may submit its report to President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday. The panel may recommend amending at least five articles of the Constitution to enable holding simultaneous polls. The report is likely to focus on having a singular electoral roll for holding the Lok Sabha, state Assembly and local body polls. Constituted last September, the committee was mandated to examine and make recommendations for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha, state Assemblies, municipalities and panchayats, keeping in view the existing constitutional framework. The panel also comprises Home Minister Amit Shah, the former leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission chairman N K Singh, former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash Kashyap and senior advocate Harish Salve. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is a special invitee to the panel. CAA protests In Assam, where the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is seen by many as a violation of the 1971 Assam Accord, protests have been continuing since the rules for the law were notified on Monday. On Wednesday, The North East Students' Organisation (NESO), the apex body of major student unions of the eight states of the region, burnt copies of the CAA rules and demanded immediate repeal of the law. Meanwhile, activists of Raijor Dal, Bir Lachit Sena and Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) organised a march in Sivasagar but were stopped by the police, leading to a minor scuffle. The police detained its leaders from the protest site, officials said. The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) also held protests in all the district headquarters during the day, a leader of the students' organisation said. An AASU delegation had gone to New Delhi on Tuesday to pursue the petition against the Act in the Supreme Court. Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah said protests will continue on "streets, court and ballots". "We cannot take any more burden from foreigners. We all have accepted the Assam Accord and the deadline to give Indian citizenship to all those coming to the state is March 24, 1971. Anyone coming after that will have to be deported," he added. These protests are likely to continue on Thursday as well. Rahul Yatra Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will continue to traverse Maharashtra before its conclusion with a rally in Mumbai on March 17. On Thursday, Rahul will be in Nashik, where he will also visit the Trimbakeshwar temple. — With PTI inputs
