N Gopalaswami is a stickler for rules and does not get flustered by criticism. The 1966 Gujarat-cadre IAS officer is quite a contrast to his high profile predecessors.
Stickler for rules
N Gopalaswami, chief election commissioner
Gopu to his close friends, chief election commissioner
N Gopalaswami is a stickler for rules and does not get flustered by criticism. The 1966 Gujarat-cadre IAS officer is quite a contrast to his high profile predecessors, TN Seshan and MS Gill. But he has a common denominator with Seshan in the form of a running battle with his respective election commissioners.
A traditional Tamilian raised in Delhi, Gopalaswami is fluent in Hindi and Gujarati and is proficient in Sanskrit, having passed an exam in astrology.
He has been branded as a BJP sympathiser as it is assumed that his entry into Nirvachan Sadan during the NDA regime was at the behest of then deputy prime minister LK Advani. He was still to complete his stint as home secretary when he was appointed election commissioner.
Never to give latitude to close acquaintances, Gopalaswami is gentle but firm. He is a strong votary of multi-phased polls and earned the Left’s wrath when he planned five-phase assembly polls in West Bengal. They questioned his proximity to the BJP. But Gopalaswami is admired for his integrity.
Attention freak
SY Qureshi, election commissioner
Shahabuddin Yaqoob Qureshi had a package of diverse assignments before he landed in the Nirvachan Sadan in June 2006. From being secretary in the ministry of sports and youth affairs, D-G Doordarshan, National AIDS Control Bureau and Nehru Yuvak Kendra to being the principle secretary to then Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, he performed a variety of tasks.
The 1971 Haryana cadre IAS officer, Qureshi was in the news when he jumped the gun to announce the tentative Lok Sabha election dates from London last week.
His educational background is as diverse as the assignments handled by him. A history post-graduate, he earned his Ph D in communication and social marketing.
In the running feud between the ECs, Qureshi has seldom been seen to be adopting extreme postures vis-à-vis Gopalaswami. His London adventure was an exception.
A music buff, Qureshi had formed his own rock group with Sharon Prabhakar. At the IAS academy, he was the entertainer and was sanctioned Rs1,500 to buy musical instruments.
Controversy king
Navin Chawla, election commissioner
Controversies and Chawla have courted each other ever since he joined civil service in 1969.
Chawla was secretary to Delhi lt governor during the Emergency and allegedly instrumental in the arrest of many opposition leaders. When he joined as election commissioner in 2005, the BJP-led NDA was up in arms and over 200 MPs led by LK Advani petitioned then president APJ Abdul Kalam seeking his removal under Article 324(5). They also cited the Shah Commission report (that looked into Emergency excesses) to back their charge.
Chawla’s Italian connection and his plan to write Mother Teresa’s biography further antagonised the BJP. Rome honoured him with the Mazzini award in 2005 for his efforts to strengthen Indo-Italian ties.
A fresh controversy erupted when the opposition raised the issue of his Jaipur-based Lala Chaman Lal Education Trust having availed MPLADS funds for its activities. The BJP likened it to holding an office of profit and sought his removal. He is a probable for the post of CEC after Gopalaswami retires on April 20, 2009.
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