Former IAS Officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu Appointed as New Election Commissioners

Retired IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu have been appointed as the new Election Commissioners by a panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu.

The appointments come following the retirements of Anup Chandra Pandey and the surprise resignation of Arun Goel, creating two vacancies in the Election Commission.

Gyanesh Kumar, a Kerala cadre IAS officer, is expected to replace Rajiv Kumar as the next Chief Election Commissioner in February 2025.

Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, a former Uttarakhand cadre IAS officer, served as the chief secretary of Uttarakhand during Pushkar Singh Dhami‘s tenure as Chief Minister.

The appointment process has faced scrutiny with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear petitions challenging the selection procedure.

The Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as the new commissioners assume their roles to assist in conducting the elections.

The selection of Election Commissioners is now governed by the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.

The panel responsible for shortlisting and selecting these commissioners is led by the Prime Minister and involves the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha.

The process has faced criticism from the Opposition, particularly around the transparency and timing of sharing shortlisted candidates, as highlighted by the Congress leader’s statements.

Names like Utpal Kumar Singh, Pradip Kumar Tripathi, Indevar Pandey, and Sudhir Kumar Gangadhar Rahate were also considered for the roles of Election Commissioners.

The appointments reflect a significant shift in the process of appointing Election Commissioners under the new Act passed last year, marking a change from the earlier system of presidential appointments after government recommendations.