In a significant development, retired bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu have been appointed as Election Commissioners by a high-powered panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan announced their appointment, stating, “The President is pleased to appoint Shri Gyanesh Kumar, IAS (Retd.) and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, IAS (Retd.) as Election Commissioners in Election Commission of India [EC] with effect from the date of assumption of charge of their office.”
This appointment marks the first instance of Election Commissioners being appointed under the new Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. The Act, introduced by the government in December last year, outlines the process for selecting members of the EC.
According to the Act, a selection committee led by the Prime Minister and including a Union Minister nominated by the Prime Minister, along with the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, is responsible for appointing EC members. In the current committee, Union Home Minister Amit Shah serves as the Cabinet Minister, while Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury represents the Opposition as the Congress leader of the House in Lok Sabha.
The appointment of Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as Election Commissioners underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring the integrity and effectiveness of the electoral process in India. With their wealth of experience and expertise, they are expected to contribute significantly to the functioning of the Election Commission and uphold the democratic values of the nation
