As expected, Navin Chawla will take over as chief election commissioner after the incumbent, N. Gopalaswami, retires on April 20. A Rashtrapati Bhavan communique to this effect was issued on Wednesday. This change of guard at the Election Commission will occur after voting begins on April 16 for the multi-phase general election. And it is with reason that there’s worry over the manner in which Gopalaswami filed his recommendation against Chawla. Could it leave not just the EC but also two incumbents, Chawla and S.Y. Quraishi, weaker?

This newspaper carried highlights from Gopalaswami’s 93-page note of January 16 this year. And without going into the power of the CEC to make a recommendation against his junior colleagues, a careful reading is instructive. The phrasing of the allegations appear to blur the line between opinion and allegiance. For instance, the CEC claimed that when Chawla was overruled on the Karnataka polls, Quraishi had said that “his name should not be taken as he was already under pressure”; and again, he uses phrases such as “it would be rational to infer that he had passed on the information...” — such “inferences”, once they become public knowledge, weaken the authority of the Commission. They also weaken the office of the new CEC and the team he will have to work with, which will include Quraishi himself.

Of course, the CEC’s recommendation is in the public domain and therefore nothing can be done about the breach of Chatham House rules. It should be noted that differences of opinion are one thing and infighting another. Gossiping about such infighting or publicly bickering is worse still. Before further harm is done, it is hoped that this controversy, in its present form, will be laid to rest.