In the ongoing political fight between the government and the opposition regarding the Chief Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar, the history of the former Chief Election Commissioners of the country has also come into discussion.
The question is arising whether the top officials of a constitutional institution like the Election Commission have joined politics after retirement? Have they contested elections on the ticket of any political party or have they been appointed to senior positions by governments?
This question arose after the statement of Union Minister Piyush Goyal, in which he has accused Congress of giving political positions and honors to former Chief Election Commissioners.
In a press conference on Tuesday, October 13, Piyush Goyal asked questions to the Congress by naming former Chief Election Commissioners like TN Seshan, MS Gill and RK Trivedi.
What allegations did BJP leader Piyush Goyal make?
BJP leader and Union Minister Piyush Goyal raised questions on the past record of Congress, saying that it gave ticket to a former Chief Election Commissioner to contest elections and made another a minister in the Central Government.
He said that in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, Congress had made former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan its candidate against BJP leader LK Advani from Gandhinagar seat of Gujarat.
Goyal also gave the example of former Chief Election Commissioner MS Gill.
He said that Gill was given Padma Vibhushan in the year 2000 while he was the Chief Election Commissioner. After this, he reached Rajya Sabha on Congress ticket in 2004 and became a minister in the Central Government in 2008.
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Goyal raised the question whether this was not a case of giving political favors to Gill in return for his work?
The Union Minister also raised questions on the appointment of former Chief Election Commissioner RK Trivedi. He said that Trivedi was made the Governor of Gujarat about two months after his retirement.
He also raised the issue of former Chief Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla.
Goyal said that the then Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy had recommended the removal of Naveen Chawla, but despite this he was made the Chief Election Commissioner.
In such a situation, it is important to know what the government records tell about the tenure and subsequent appointments of these officers?
TN Seshan: From Lok Sabha elections to Presidential elections
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TN Seshan was the 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India.
According to official records of the Election Commission of India, he assumed office on 12 December 1990 and remained the Chief Election Commissioner till 11 December 1996.
Seshan's tenure is known for strict implementation of the electoral code of conduct and use of the powers of the Election Commission.
After leaving the post of Chief Election Commissioner, he entered electoral politics.
In 1997, he contested the Presidential elections, but lost to KR Narayanan.
Two years later, in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, Congress made him its candidate from Gandhinagar seat in Gujarat.
In front of him was senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani.
According to the official report of the Election Commission of India in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, Advani got 4,53,229 votes, while Seshan got 2,64,285 votes.
In this way Seshan lost the election.
Seshan's case is important because after stepping down from the post of Chief Election Commissioner, he took direct part in electoral politics and contested the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket.
However, there was a gap of about three years between his becoming the Congress candidate and his tenure as Chief Election Commissioner.
MS Gill: From Chief Election Commissioner to Union Minister
After TN Seshan, MS Gill became the Chief Election Commissioner of India.
According to the official records of the Election Commission, he served on this post from 12 December 1996 to 13 June 2001.
During Gill's tenure, the use of electronic voting machines i.e. EVMs expanded in the country. However, the use of EVMs had started before he became the Chief Election Commissioner.
After leaving the post, Gill joined Congress.
In April 2004, he became a Congress Rajya Sabha member from Punjab.
After this, on April 6, 2008, he was given the independent charge of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in the Central Government.
He was a minister in the UPA government and later also held the responsibility of the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.
In the year 2010, he again reached Rajya Sabha and remained a member of the Upper House of Parliament till April 2016.
Piyush Goyal has raised another question in Gill's case.
He says that Gill was given Padma Vibhushan in the year 2000 while he was the Chief Election Commissioner. He alleged that is this not a matter of giving him reward?
RK Trivedi: From Election Commission to Raj Bhavan of Gujarat
The example of former Chief Election Commissioner RK Trivedi is different from his entry into active electoral politics.
According to the official records of the Election Commission, he was the Chief Election Commissioner from 18 June 1982 to 31 December 1985.
After this, on 26 February 1986, he was appointed the Governor of Gujarat.
Thus, there was a gap of about two months between leaving the post of Chief Election Commissioner and becoming the Governor.
Piyush Goyal on Tuesday raised questions on the old record of Congress and mentioned Trivedi's appointment.
VS Ramadevi: Became Governor of two states
India's first woman Chief Election Commissioner VS Ramadevi is also among those former officers who were later made Governor.
According to Election Commission records, she was the Chief Election Commissioner from 26 November 1990 to 11 December 1990.
His tenure was only 15 days.
About seven years later, on 26 July 1997, she became the Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
According to the official records of Himachal Pradesh Raj Bhavan, she remained on this post till December 1, 1999.
After this he also worked as the Governor of Karnataka.
The example of Ramadevi shows that the appointment of former Chief Election Commissioners as Governor was not limited to just one person.
But there is no reliable record available to confirm his joining any political party.
Therefore, he cannot be counted as a former Chief Election Commissioner who has joined politics.
What was the controversy regarding Naveen Chawla?
Piyush Goyal also mentioned Naveen Chawla in his press conference. This matter was not about getting a political post after retirement, but about a dispute within the Election Commission.
In 2009, the then Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami had written a letter to the President recommending the removal of Election Commissioner Naveen Chawla from the post.
Gopalaswami had accused Chawla of adopting a biased attitude towards Congress. At that time, the Indian Express had published a detailed report on Gopalaswami's letter and the allegations made in it.
However, despite Gopalaswami's recommendation, Naveen Chawla was not removed from the post.
According to Election Commission of India records, he became the Chief Election Commissioner on 21 April 2009 and held the post till 29 July 2010.
Why did N Gopalaswamy demand a ban on entering politics?
The question of former election commissioners entering politics or accepting government posts has been raised earlier also.
In January 2009, the then Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami had written a letter to the President suggesting legal changes in this regard.
The Indian Express published part of his letter in March 2009.
Gopalaswami had said that so that questions are not raised on the impartiality of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, they should be prevented from accepting government appointments after leaving office.
He suggested that former Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners should not be appointed to posts like Governor or Lieutenant Governor.
Apart from this, he recommended a ban on joining any political party for at least ten years after leaving office.
Gopalaswami had also mentioned the Dinesh Goswami Committee of 1990 in his letter.
In its recommendations related to election reforms, this committee had talked about banning the government appointments of former election commissioners.
According to Gopalaswami's letter, a Constitution Amendment Bill in this regard was also introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 1990, but it was withdrawn in 1993.
His argument was that along with the impartiality of the Election Commission, it is also important to maintain its impartial image among the public.
However, after leaving the post, Gopalaswami himself was appointed Chairman of Kalakshetra Foundation by the Central Government.
This appointment is also important in the context of the debate about former election commissioners accepting posts in government or public institutions.
What does the law say about the appointment of Chief Election Commissioners?
Article 324 of the Constitution of India deals with the Election Commission.
This article contains provisions related to the structure of the Election Commission and the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners.
In the year 2023, Parliament made a new law related to the appointment, service conditions and tenure of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners.
Under this law, there is a provision for a three-member selection committee for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.
It consists of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and a Union Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
The Chief Justice of India has not been included in this committee.
What are the allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar?
Gyanesh Kumar took over as the Chief Election Commissioner of India on 19 February 2025.
He is a former IAS officer of Kerala cadre of 1988 batch.
Before becoming the Chief Election Commissioner, he had worked as the Election Commissioner.
His appointment was made under the new law of 2023.
During the tenure of Gyanesh Kumar, a big political controversy has come to light regarding the Special Intensive Revision of Voter Lists i.e. SIR.
Congress and other opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of irregularities in voter lists and adopting a biased attitude.
The opposition says that the voting rights of a large number of people have been affected in the process of removing names from the voter lists.
On the other hand, the Election Commission has defended its process.
In March 2026, opposition MPs had given notices in both houses of Parliament to remove Gyanesh Kumar from the post.
When did the controversy escalate?
According to the report, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had filed written objections on some decisions and procedures.
The Election Commission said that the emergence of different opinions is part of the normal decision-making process and its decisions have been taken as per the prescribed legal procedure.
In October 2026, the Supreme Court also sought response from the Central Government and the Election Commission on a petition.
It was alleged in this petition that Gyanesh Kumar took some decisions unilaterally.
But issuing the notice by the Supreme Court does not justify the allegations. The court has sought answers from the parties concerned in this matter.
Opposition's protest and BJP's reply
On October 6, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and other opposition leaders demonstrated against the Election Commission in Delhi.
Opposition parties are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
After this, on October 12, opposition leaders and supporters marched towards the Supreme Court.
According to news agency Reuters, the protesters filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the amendment in the voter lists.
The opposition alleges that a large number of eligible voters are being affected by the changes in voter lists.
BJP has rejected these allegations and accused the opposition of damaging the credibility of constitutional institutions.
Amidst this political conflict, on October 13, Piyush Goyal raised the issue of Congress's old record.
