Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu Assume Roles as Election Commissioners Today

The newly-appointed Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will take charge on Friday.
Both were appointed election commissioners by the selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

“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 Gyanesh Kumar, IAS (Retd.), and 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,” the Ministry of Law and Justice issued an official statement on Thursday.

Arun Goel, the Election Commissioner, resigned from his position on March 9. The President accepted his resignation. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, expressed disagreement with the government’s nominees for the post of Election Commissioner on Thursday. The Leader of the Opposition, Law Minister Arjun Meghwal, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened as a selection committee earlier to review candidates for the open posts of election commissioner. Following the selection committee meeting, Chowdhury claimed that there were “some lacunae” in the process used to choose the Election Commissioners.

“They (government) have the majority (in the committee that appoints election commissioner). Earlier, they had given me 212 names, but 10 minutes before the appointment they again gave me just six names. I know that the CJI isn’t there, government has made such a law that the CJI doesn’t interfere and the Central govt can choose a favourable name. I am not saying that it’s arbitrary but the procedure that is being followed has some lacunae,” the Congress leader said.

In February, Gyanesh Kumar resigned from his position as secretary of the ministry of cooperation, and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu was the former chief secretary of the Uttarakhand government. On January 31, 2024, Sandhu, an IAS officer from the 1988 batch, retired from his position as Chief Secretary. A bill to govern the appointment and tenure of Chief Election Commissioners and election commissioners was passed by the Rajya Sabha on December 12. The Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act of 1991 is being replaced by this bill.

According to the Bill, the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition, or the leader of the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha, will recommend candidates for the CEC and EC positions, which the President will then appoint. Seeing to it that the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, which are scheduled for April and May of this year, are successfully conducted, will be the new election commissioner’s first priority.