Govt Confirms Appointment Of Gyanesh Kumar And Sukhbir Sandhu As Election Commissioners

The government officially announced the appointment of former bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as election commissioners. This decision came shortly after a high-powered committee, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, convened to fill the two vacancies in the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Prior to these appointments, the ECI had only Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar.

"The President has approved the appointment of Shri Gyanesh Kumar, IAS (Retd.), and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, IAS (Retd.), as Election Commissioners in the Election Commission of India, effective from the date they assume their respective offices," stated a notification from the Ministry of Law and Justice. A screenshot of this notification was shared by the news agency PTI.

Introducing the New Election Commissioners:

Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, originally from Punjab, is a retired IAS officer from the 1998 batch, belonging to the Uttarakhand cadre. Sandhu holds a diverse educational background, with an MBBS degree from Government Medical College, Amritsar, a Master's Degree in History from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and a law degree. In 2021, he assumed the role of Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's administration. Sandhu's notable appointments include serving as the chairperson of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and as additional secretary of the Department of Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Gyanesh Kumar, also retired from the IAS and from the same batch as Sandhu, belonged to the Kerala cadre. Kumar's career highlights include serving as secretary at the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and later as secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation under Amit Shah's leadership. Notably, he played a significant role in overseeing the abrogation of Article 370. Kumar retired from service on January 31, 2024.

The positions of election commissioners became vacant following the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and the unexpected resignation of Arun Goel on March 9. Goel's resignation came as a surprise, especially considering that he was in line to become the Chief Election Commissioner.

Arun Goel's appointment as election commissioner in November 2022 drew widespread criticism from the opposition and was even questioned by the Supreme Court's Constitution Bench. His swift transition from secretary to the government of India to election commissioner raised eyebrows, prompting concerns about transparency within the election commission and its ability to make impartial decisions.