Xi in his message said, that as the world is confronted with accelerated changes unseen in a century, the strategic significance of China-Pakistan relations has become more prominent

Election Commissioner Arun Goel’s resignation just days before the announcement of dates for the Lok Sabha polls has sent shockwaves within the political circles. While he stated “personal reasons” in his resignation letter, sources have told NDTV that differences with the Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar could have prompted the exit.

Congress, expressing “deep concern,” has sounded the alarm on what it perceives as a dangerous trend of systematic erosion of independent institutions, warning that if not halted, democracy could be supplanted by dictatorship. Questions are also being raised about whether the upcoming elections will be conducted fairly.

In a post on X, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “Election Commission or Election OMISSION? India now has only one Election Commissioner, even as Lok Sabha elections are to be announced in a few days. Why? As I have said earlier, if we do not stop the systematic decimation of our independent institutions, our democracy shall be usurped by dictatorship.”

The ECI will now be among the last Constitutional institutions to fall, Mr Kharge claimed.

“Since the new process of selecting the Election Commissioners has now effectively given all the power to the ruling party and the PM, why has the new Election Commissioner not appointed even after 23 days of the completion of latter’s tenure? Modi government must answer these questions and come out with a reasonable explanation,” the Congress president said.

Election Commission or Election OMISSION?

India now has only ONE Election Commissioner, even as Lok Sabha elections are to be announced in few days. Why?

As I have said earlier, if we do NOT stop the systematic decimation of our independent institutions, our DEMOCRACY shall…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) March 9, 2024

Arun Goel resigned on Saturday, days before the expected announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His tenure was till December 5, 2027, and he would have become Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after incumbent Rajiv Kumar retired in February next year.

The Election Commission of India, consisting of three members, already had a vacant position, and now, only Mr Kumar remains on the poll panel.

According to sources, the Lok Sabha election dates are likely to be announced next week. However, Mr Goel’s unexpected departure has cast doubt on the previously anticipated timeline.

Congress leader KC Venugopal also criticised the lack of transparency in the functioning of constitutional institutions like the Election Commission and highlighted the alleged pressures exerted by the government.

“This is quite shocking; just before the declaration of elections, the Election Commissioner has resigned. Now, only one Election Commissioner is there… What is happening in this Election Commission? The entire country is anxious. The government of India doesn’t want a free and fair election,” the Congress general secretary said.

Mr Venugopal drew parallels with the 2019 elections, citing the case of Ashok Lavasa, who dissented against giving a clean chit to the Prime Minister for violating the Model Code of Conduct. He emphasised the need for the Election Commission to remain completely non-partisan to preserve democratic traditions.

“Mr Ashok Lavasa had dissented against a clean chit to the PM for violating the Model Code of Conduct. Later, he faced relentless inquiries. This attitude shows the regime is hell-bent on destroying democratic traditions,” Mr Venugopal wrote on X.

India has stressed on the need for urgent reforms within the United Nations Security Council saying that the global body is otherwise heading towards “oblivion”. Expressing frustration over prolonged discussions, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ruchira Kamboj said nearly 25 years have passed since world leaders committed to comprehensive reforms at the Millennium Summit in 2000.

“Discussions on Security Council reforms have persisted earnestly for well over a decade since the early 1990s. The world and our future generations can no longer afford to wait. How much longer must they wait?” she said during an informal meeting on Security Council reforms.

Ms Kamboj urged concrete progress toward reforms, emphasizing the importance of heeding the voices of the younger generation and rectifying historical injustices, especially in Africa.

Warning against maintaining the status quo, Ms Kamboj proposed a more inclusive approach, cautioning that restricting Security Council expansion to non-permanent members could exacerbate disparities in its composition. She emphasized the need for representativeness and equitable participation to enhance the Council’s overall legitimacy.

“We must push forward a reform heeding the voices of the young and future generations, including from Africa, where the demand to correct historical injustice grows even stronger. Otherwise, we simply risk sending the council down the path of oblivion and irrelevant,” she said.

#WATCH | At the UNGA, Permanent Representative of India to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj says, ” Discussions on reform of the Security Council have been going on, as you well know, in earnest for well over a decade, since the early 1990s. In addition, world leaders at the Millennium… pic.twitter.com/qyHbJgTGAA

— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2024

Echoing India’s call for greater representation, the G4 countries—India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan—emphasized the importance of reflecting the diversity and plurality of views from the 193 member states, particularly in the non-permanent category.

In a practical move, Kamboj suggested identifying specific groups or countries deserving special consideration in the reform process and listening carefully to their voices. “Member states should also make full use of the possibility of cross-regional arrangements to ensure that the diversity of the General Assembly membership is adequately reflected in the Council,” she said. “To move the discussion from the abstract to the concrete, in our view, it would be useful for member states to first identify and define which specific groups or countries deserve special consideration in this regard and then carefully listen to their voices.”

Earlier on February 17, Ms Kamboj had reiterated India’s support for comprehensive reforms of the UNSC across all five clusters, including an expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories.