PANAJI
Reports from Delhi are speculating that Sunil Arora, who laid down office as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) earlier this week will be appointed as Governor and fill up the vacancy at the Goa Raj Bhavan.
Goa is in an election year with polls expected to be held in about 10 months and Arora, severally accused of bias in his Constitutional role as CEC over the last few years, is a convenient choice for the BJP-led NDA.
Roles of the Governor have proved to be crucial here in Goa in post-election wrangling between political parties in the quest to capture power in election season.
Arora is a 1980 batch IAS officer and belonged to the Rajasthan cadre although he hails from Punjab. He retired on superannuation as Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary before becoming CEC in 2017.
He also served has Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister in Rajasthan when the BJP's Vasundhara Raje Scindia ruled the northern State.
The responsibility of the Goa governor is currently being shouldered as an additional charge by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari ever since Satya Pal Malik was transferred to Shillong as Governor of Meghalaya.
