Kerala's Gyanesh Kumar, Uttarakhand's Sukhbir Singh Sandhu appointed as new Election Commissioners

These appointments became necessary due to the vacancies created by the resignation of Arun Goel on March 8 and the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14. With these changes, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar remains the sole member of the poll authority.

Kerala Gyanesh Kumar, Punjab's Balwinder Sandhu appointed as new Election Commissioners AJR

Ajay Joseph

First Published Mar 14, 2024, 1:41 PM IST

Former bureaucrats Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been appointed as the new election commissioners, as disclosed by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday. These appointments were confirmed following a meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's panel, wherein Sandhu and Kumar emerged as the chosen candidates out of a pool of six contenders.

Chowdhury, addressing the media at his residence after the panel's deliberations, highlighted certain concerns regarding the selection process. Notably, he pointed out the absence of the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee and raised questions about the transparency of the selection process, particularly in the screening of over 200 candidates down to the final six by the search committee led by the Law Minister.

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Among the shortlisted candidates were Utpal Kumar Singh, Pradeep Kumar Tripathi, Gyanesh Kumar, Indevar Pandey, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, and Sudhir Kumar Gangadhar Rahate, all of whom boast backgrounds as former bureaucrats.

As the former head of the Kashmir Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gyanesh Kumar, a retired IAS officer from the Kerala Cadre, played a pivotal role in overseeing the abrogation of Article 370. The appointment of two new Election Commissioners took place following a meeting held at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg (7LKM), where Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary was also present.

Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the selection panel included a Union minister and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Previously, Election Commissioners were appointed by the President based on government recommendations, with the senior-most member typically appointed as the CEC. However, the recent law on the appointment of the CEC and ECs brought changes to this process.

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Article 324, Clause 2 of the Constitution outlines that the Election Commission consists of the Chief Election Commissioner and additional Election Commissioners as determined by the President.

Last Updated Mar 14, 2024, 8:18 PM IST