The government is unlikely to rock the Election Commission boat and bring in an outsider to succeed J.M. Lyngdoh. T S Krishnamurthy is all set to be the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). According to sources, Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande—who is also the Secretary of the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet—recommended Krishnamurthy’s name with the advice that the ‘tradition’ of appointing the seniormost election commissioner as the CEC should be adhered to. With Lyngdoh retiring in February 6, the Commission is expected to be reconstituted by February 7. The appointment of the CEC is crucial at this juncture as the new panel will schedule and conduct the Lok Sabha elections. Reportedly backed by Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, the former Cabinet Secretary T.R. Prasad was a strong contender for the post till the government decided not to disturb the tradition and let it become a poll issue. Besides, a disgruntled Krishnamurthy in the EC would not have served the government’s purpose any better. Krishnamurthy also reportedly made it quite clear that he would prefer to resign from the post of Election Commissioner, if an outsider was brought in to head to the Commission. The government is likely to put former Commerce Secretary Deepak Chatterjee in the EC as one of two Commissioners, paving the way for him to eventually become the CEC. The move will help the government to resolve the unpleasant tiff it had with the judiciary over Chatterjee’s appointment to the Competition Commission.
