On Thursday, March 14, a three-member committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose former IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as election commissioners (ECs) to the Election Commission of India.
The two positions fell vacant after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14 and Arun Goel’s abrupt resignation last week. With Goel’s resignation, the Election Commission was left only with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
The selection committee consisting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Law Minister Arjun Meghwal and Leader of Opposition met this morning to consider names for the vacant positions of election commissioner.
After the selection committee meeting, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury started crying foul that the government side had two members and from the opposition side, there was only one member in the team. He claimed that there were several flaws in the process adopted to select 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.”Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.
Who is former bureaucrat Gyanesh Kumar who served at the Ministry of Defence during UPA regime
Gyanesh Kumar is a retired IAS officer. He is a 1988-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer (retd), superannuated as Cooperation Secretary on January 31 2024. As a member of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), he was instrumental in establishing the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust. When Article 370 was repealed in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, he headed the Jammu and Kashmir desk at the MHA.
The Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) (Amendment) Act, 2023, and the establishment of three new national cooperative bodies—Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL)—were enacted by the Cooperation Ministry during his tenure.
He was instrumental in the timely launch of the CRCS-Sahara refund portal, which allowed legitimate depositors of the four Multi-State Cooperative Societies of the Sahara Group to submit claims.
From 2007 to 2012, during the UPA government, Gyanesh Kumar served at the Ministry of Defence as Joint Secretary (Defence Production).
He retired as Secretary, of the Ministry of Cooperation, a portfolio held by senior BJP leader Amit Shah.
Who is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, picked as an election commissioner by Modi Govt
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, a retired IAS officer from the 1998 batch, was born in 1963. He was the 17th Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand. He was accorded the position after the BJP came to power and Pushkar Singh Dhami was appointed as chief minister in 2021. Previous positions held by Sandhu included that of chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), additional secretary, and minister of human resource development. The retired bureaucrat also worked as Commissioner, of Ludhiana Municipal Corporation.
In addition to receiving his MBBS from Government Medical College in Amritsar, Sandhu also holds a master’s degree in history from Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar. He reportedly has a law degree as well.
The former bureaucrat received the President Medal in recognition of his work as the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana, Punjab, Commissioner. Furthermore, he was awarded the 2001 President of India Medal in recognition of services rendered during the Census of India.
Besides the Prime Minister and the Congress leader, Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended the meeting. The selection committee finally closed on retired IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, who will join Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on the commission.
Fake news about appointment of Dr Rajesh Kumar Gupta and Priyansh Sharma as Election Commissioners busted by PIB
On 13th March, a notification by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs surfaced on social media claiming that two Election Commissioners to the Election Commission of India have been appointed. As per the notification, the High-Powered Committee (HPC) comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, appointed Dr Rajesh Kumar Gupta (retd IAS) and Priyansh Sharma (retd IAS) as Election Commissioners. Furthermore, the notification suggested both would assume office from 31st March 2024.
The said notification was shared by several social media users.
The Press Information Bureau’s Fact Check unit, however, dismissed the notification as fake. In a post on X, PIB Fact Check wrote, “A notification regarding the appointment of two Election Commissioners to the Election Commission of India is circulating on social media. This notification is #fake. No such Gazette notification has been issued.”