Advani writes to Prime Minister, demands change in selection process of Chief Election Commissioner

New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding that the process of appointing the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) must be revised.

"The present system whereby members to the Election Commission are appointed by the President, solely on the advice of the Prime Minister, does not evoke confidence among the people. Keeping these important decisions as the exclusive preserve of the ruling party renders the selection process vulnerable to manipulation and partisanship," Mr Advani wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister.

Emphasising the need for greater transparency in the selection process, Mr Advani said that the views of the Opposition Parties must also be considered. In the letter, the senior BJP leader recommends that the poll panel chief must be appointed by a broad-based collegium comprising the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, Minister of Law along with the two leaders of the Opposition in the Lok sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
The current Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi is scheduled to retire later this month.