Navin Chawla Politician

Naveen Chawla is a former Chief Election Commissioner of India. Four phases (out of five) of the Indian general election to Loksabha were executed under his supervision in April and May 2009.Chawla is best known for his pro-Indira Gandhi stance as secretary to the lieutenant governor of Delhi during the (1975–77) Indian Emergency and for his biography of Mother Teresa. The Shah Commission, an independent commission headed by former Chief Justice of India Jayantilal Chhotalal Shah which investigated atrocities during the Emergency, said in its final report that Chawla was "unfit to hold any public office which demands an attitude of fair play and consideration for others". However, the report was suppressed after Gandhi returned to power in 1980; as Prime Minister, she "recalled all reports of Shah Commission wherever possible". Despite concerns about his leanings towards the Congress Party Chawla is considered to have conducted the 2009 general elections in an even-handed manner, with action taken against alleged malpractice by Congress governments in Rajasthan, Assam and Andhra Pradesh and the Congress Allied government in Tamil Nadu. According to his family, Chawla was influenced by Mother Teresa and decided not to resign from the civil service in 1997 in accordance with her advice.