Controversy, Oppn backlash marked Joti’s CEC stint
Kumar Joti’s sixmonth tenure as the chief election commissioner that ends on Monday was mired in controversy. As the head of the poll panel, which is mandated to carry out elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies, Joti came under the Opposition’s attack for the Commission’s decision to defer polls in Gujarat instead of clubbing it with Himachal Pradesh, and, more recently, for the recommendation to the President to disqualify 20 MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for allegedly holding office of profit.
The Opposition parties accused Joti, who served as principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his stint as Gujarat chief minister, of partisanship, when the Commission under his charge decided to defer the polls in Gujarat, but were also all praise for the poll panel for disqualifying the votes of two Congress rebel lawmakers in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls.
It overruled the returning officer who had declared the votes valid, even though they had showed their marked ballot papers to the rival candidates of the BJP.
The EC’s decision eventually saw Congress MP Ahmed Patel win a closely contested election.
However, its decision to agree to the Gujarat government’s request to give it more time to wind up rehabilitation and relief operations in flood-affected areas of the state did not go down well with the Opposition. A slew of sops announced by the administration, in the run up to the polls, including loan at zero percent interest for farmers up to Rs 3 Lakh, permanent jobs for sanitary workers and infrastructure projects gave an opportunity to the Opposition to train its guns at the Commission.
The Congress alleged that the BJP government appeared to be “putting pressure” on the EC.
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“Reason is that PM is visiting Gujarat on October 16, as false Santa Claus to announce sops and jumlas that he didn’t implement for 22 yrs,” Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had tweeted.
Described as a “meticulous” official who stresses on “detail”, Joti has been in the eye of a storm after the ruling party in Delhi accused the commission of not following the due processes before recommending the disqualification of their legislators who were accused of holding an office of profit.
A 1975- batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, Joti has maintained a steadfast silence on the accusations levelled against him by the AAP.
The party has alleged the Commission headed by him defied the "principles of natural justice", and did not hear the MLAs' case before making a recommendation to the President.
The EC’s recommendation to the President is binding.
Officials who worked with Joti since he joined the election commission in 2015 said during his term in office he streamlined the e-filing system for maintaining official records and also pushed for transparency in payments.
“He was the first CEC who wrote to the authorities to ensure that the paramilitary forces who are deputed for election work are taken care of; whether it is ensuring good food, accommodation and special travel facilities for them or making certain that their dues are paid in time,” said one official, not wishing to be named.