Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who serves as the Opposition member in the three-member selection committee, revealed that bureaucrats Sukhbir Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been appointed as election commissioners.
#WATCH | Gyanesh Kumar from Kerala and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu from Punjab selected as election commissioners, says Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. pic.twitter.com/FBF1q44yuG
— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2024
The vacancies arrived following the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and the unexpected resignation of Arun Goel last Saturday. Consequently, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar remained as the sole member of the poll authority.
The selection committee comprises the prime minister, a Union minister nominated by the PM, and the Leader of the Opposition or the single largest Opposition party in Lok Sabha, in this instance, Chowdhury.
Reports suggest that Chowdhury had written to Legislative Department Secretary Rajiv Mani, requesting details of the shortlisted candidates for the post of Election Commissioners, including their bio-data.
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Reacting to the development on Thursday, Chowdhury expressed his dissatisfaction, stating, “I was just called for formality. The names had already been decided.” This suggests that he felt the decision-making process was predetermined and his role in the selection committee was merely perfunctory.
Originally, the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). However, with the recent appointments, it now consists of the CEC and two election commissioners, bringing the commission back to its full strength.
Two additional commissioners were initially appointed on October 16, 1989, but their tenure was brief, lasting until January 1, 1990. Subsequently, on October 1, 1993, two more additional election commissioners were appointed.
Since then, the concept of a multi-member Election Commission (EC) has been in operation, with decisions made by a majority vote among the members. This structure allows for a broader representation and collaboration within the Election Commission, ensuring balanced decision-making processes.
