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Outgoing Chief Election Commissioner
Navin Chawla speaks during his farewell function as newly appointed
Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi looks on, in New Delhi on
Thursday.
(Photo:
PTI) |
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 Quraishi
to become first Muslim Chief Election Commissioner of India:
Low-profile S Y Quraishi,
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New Delhi:
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Navin B. Chawla on Thursday
demitted office. Thirty-five representatives of election commissions
of various countries attended the function orgainsed to say good-bye
to Navin Chawla.
Led by Election Commissioners S.Y.
Quraishi and V.S. Sampath - who praised Chawla for his guidance, and
for taking all the decisions in tune with the opinions of the full
Commission - the representatives praised his efforts taken as CEC of
one the largest democracy in the world.
Chawla thanked all those who
participated in the electoral process or helped to conduct it with
integrity, dignity and honour.
"I consider myself fortunate to have been at the helm of affairs of
“one of our finest institutions [Commission]” and also conduct the
Election Commission's Diamond Jubilee celebrations on January 25
this year", The Hindu quoted the outgoing CEC, Navin Chawla.
"Highest constitutional authorities,
led by President Pratibha Patil, and practically the entire
Opposition parties were present in the programme to showcase the
strength of our democracy and the respect with which the Commission
is held in", he added.
Navin Chawla will be replaced by YS
Quraishi, who will take over as the 17th CEC on Friday. 63-year-old Shahabuddin Yaqoob
Quraishi, who will have a little more than two years as CEC, has
already served the Election Commission for more than four years and
has a solid grounding in the institution that has earned a name for
conducting free and fair elections.
Earlier, the officers and the entire
staff of the Commission gave a farewell, and the other two
Commissioners saw Chawla off in the evening. Later, he called on
President Ms. Pratibhatai Patil and formally took leave.
There could be some delay in the appointment of a new Election
Commissioner as the government was not able to arrive at the
decision, those at the helm of affairs feeling that it had been a
while since a representative from the North-East region occupied the
constitutional post. The last to occupy was James Michael Lyngdoh,
who demitted office as CEC on February 7, 2004.
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