The way things are going, Navin B Chawla is likely to be the country’s next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), when N Gopalaswami retires on April 20. The BJP had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against Chawla’s appointment as an Election Commissioner, but the apex court referred this to Gopalaswami. Should the CEC recommend Chawla’s removal, this will create an embarrassing situation for President Pratibha Patil who will not act on the matter without the advice of the government.
And if the CEC takes any action after the elections are announced, this will mean the government will be in the model code-of-conduct zone where it can take no important decisions. Which means, if Chawla has to go, a decision on this has to be taken by the CEC within the next few weeks.