Sukhbir Sandhu, Gyanesh Kumar appointed as Election Commissioners, says Adhir Ranjan

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Opposition member in the three-member selection committee, said that bureaucrats Sukhbir Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been appointed as election commissioners.

The vacancies were created after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and the surprise resignation of Arun Goel last Saturday. This left Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar as the sole member of the poll authority.

The committee comprises the prime minister, a Union minister nominated by the PM, and Leader of the Opposition or the single largest Opposition party in Lok Sabha, in this case, Chowdhury.

The Congress leader had reportedly written to Legislative Department Secretary Rajiv Mani asking him to send him details of shortlisted candidates for the post of Election Commissioners along with their bio-data.

Reacting to the development on Thursday, Chowdhury said, “I was just called for formality. The names had already been decided.”

Originally, the commission had only a CEC. It currently consists of the CEC and two election commissioners.

Two additional commissioners were first appointed on October 16, 1989, but they had a very short tenure till January 1, 1990. Later, on October 1, 1993, two additional election commissioners were appointed.

The concept of a multi-member EC has been in operation since then, with decision made by a majority vote.

(With Agency Inputs)