NEW DELHI: Former bureaucrats Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been named as the new election commissioners by a panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, committee member and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Thursday.
The names of Kumar and Sandhu were cleared by a high-powered selection panel chaired by PM Modi.
Besides the PM, the selection committee also comprised Law Minister Arjun Meghwal and Leader of Congress Party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
In the notification the government said, “In exercise of powers conferred by section 4 of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 (Act No. 49 of 2023), the President is pleased to appoint Shri Gyanesh Kumar, IAS(Retd.) and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, IAS(Retd.) as Election Commissioners in the Election Commission of India, with effect from the date they assume charge of their office.”
Earlier in the day, while talking to reporters after the selection panel meeting Adhir Chowdhury said six names came up before the panel for the selection of the two ECs and the names of Sandhu and Kumar were finalised by a majority of members of the panel.
He also said that he had given his dissent note on the names put up before the panel.
He, however, said the Chief Justice of India should have been part of the selection panel and there was no clarity on how six names were shortlisted from over 200 candidates that are said to have come before the search committee headed by the Law Minister.
The six names shortlisted were those of Utpal Kumar Singh, Pradeep Kumar Tripathi, Gyanesh Kumar, Indevar Pandey, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Sudhir Kumar Gangadhar Rahate, all former bureaucrats.
Gyanesh Kumar is 1988 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, who has the distinction of heading the Jammu & Kashmir division in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), when the government nullified Article 370 in 2019. He retired from the service when he was secretary at the Ministry of Co-operation headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Sukhbir Sandhu, a 1988-batch Uttrakhand cadre IAS officer, was former Chief Secretary of the state.
The vacancies had come up after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the sudden resignation of Arun Goel.
On December 12, Rajya Sabha passed a bill to regulate the appointment and service terms of Chief Election Commissioner and election commissioners. The bill replaces the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991.
As per the Bill, the CEC and ECs will be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of a Selection Committee, which will consist of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition or leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha.
(With inputs from PTI)