Kolkata: Congress today (Jan 14, 2004) accused the Vajpayee Government of trying to influence the Election Commission (EC) by appointing an "outsider" as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after the retirement of the present incumbent J M Lyngdoh and demanded that the senior among the two other Election Commissioners should be elevated to the post of CEC.

Veteran Congress leader and CWC member Pranab Mukherjee told a press conference that there were reports that the Vajpayee Government was planning to appoint an "outsider" as the CEC on February 7 after Lyngdoh's retirement on February 6 which was ''highly improper".

"They are trying to influence the EC.''

He said after 1990 when the Election Commission was constituted with three members, the senior-most member became the CEC.

''Whoever is the senior among the two, should be made CEC after Lyngdoh's retirement and the junior-most person should be the third member,'' he said, adding that the seniority should be considered on the basis of one's tenure in the Election Commission.