Election Commissioner G V G Krishnamurthy wants the third member of the Election Commission to hail from the north-east, and not from either Punjab or Andhra Pradesh.
His remark comes in the wake of reports that Rajya Sabha secretary-general V S Rama Devi and Union home secretary K Padmanabhaiah are among those being considered for the post.
Do we want to convert the commission into a Telugu or a Punjabi Election Commission, he asked, and pointed out that both Rama Devi and Padmanabhaiah hail from Andhra Pradesh. Chief election commissioner M S Gill hails from Punjab and I hail from Andhra Pradesh, Krishnamurthy remarked.
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He said that the third member of the commission should hail preferably from the north-east, claiming that such a composition would generate more trust and confidence in the commission. The multi-member commission has inspired trust among people by its independent functioning, but it should also generate faith through its composition, he told Business Standard.
Krishnamurthy held that the nomination of the third member to the constitutional body was essential to uphold the concept of majority decision and high democratic traditions.
There cannot be majority between unequals, he said.
He, however, said that the governement should consult the chief election commissioner before appointing the third member.