New Delhi: The Union government has “informed” Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday (March 10) that it will “very soon convene” a meeting of the selection committee to fill the vacancy created in the Election Commission of India by election commissioner Arun Goel’s abrupt resignation, Economic Times reported.Currently, the EC has only one member – chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar. It is supposed to have three. Election commissioner Anup Pandey had retired on February 15.Chowdhury, the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, is the only opposition member of the selection committee. Its other members are the prime minister and a second government minister. He has said he will attend the meeting when the date is announced, but also questioned whether Goel’s sudden resignation “was part of a quid pro quo”. He also wondered why the government had not acted to fill the post created by Pandey’s retirement earlier.Under the terms of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, the government-dominated selection committee will fill vacant slots on the ECI from candidates short-listed by a search committee headed by the Union cabinet secretary.The Act is under challenge in the Supreme Court for violating the apex court’s ruling last year that ECI members be selected by a panel that is not dominated by the government – so as to ensure the ECI’s independence.“The government side today (Sunday) conveyed to me that very soon a meeting would be convened (of the selection committee) to fill up the vacancies in the Election Commission, but no specific date has been communicated yet,” Chowdhury told Economic Times. “Yes, I will attend the meeting as and when it is convened because it is my constitutional duty to do so as a member of the (search) committee.”“It is very surprising and unprecedented that an election commissioner chose to resign from his post right ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. And yet, he has not given any satisfactory reasons for doing so. There is, therefore, a need to bring clarity on the matter by the concerned quarters. I also wonder whether it (Goel’s resignation) is part of a quid pro quo,” he continued.“I don’t understand why the government has chosen not to fill another vacancy for the post of election commissioner, even after the incumbent retired almost a month back. This delay in doing so is despite the hectic preparations the Election Commission has to do for the Lok Sabha elections. How can the government explain this delay,” Chowdhury asked.Opposition parties have been raising concerns over the flux in the EC so close to the general elections. “On the eve of the general elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, this creates an atmosphere of uncertainty. With the new law on appointment of ECs, the composition of the Election Commission is under the complete control of the government. This situation raises concerns that need to be addressed to ensure the credibility of this Constitutional entity and its capacity to conduct free and fair polls,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a statement.“He (Goel) is the one who within 24 hours of his (premature) retirement was made EC by the BJP government…. What kind of manipulation did the BJP ask to do in the elections that their own man could not do and resigned from such a high post?” Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi said, according to The Telegraph.Congress MP and communications head Jairam Ramesh said on X, “1. Did he [Goel] actually resign over differences with the Chief Election Commissioner or with the Modi Govt, which does the front-seat driving for all supposedly independent institutions? 2. Or did he resign for personal reasons? 3. Or did he, like the Calcutta High Court Judge a few days back, resign to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket?”