According to Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Sandhu have been appointed as election commissioners ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. This appointment was reportedly made after a meeting of a three-member high-level selection board led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chowdhury, one of the panel members, expressed objections to the process, stating that he did not have enough time to review the list of candidates before the meeting.
Chowdhury mentioned that he had requested a shortlist of around five candidates but received a list of 212 names late at night before the meeting. Despite his objections, the names of Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were finalized for appointment as election commissioners from a list of six shortlisted candidates, which included former bureaucrats.
This development follows the recent resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel, which sparked controversy and raised concerns about the independence of institutions. The Opposition has been critical of the process and has raised legal challenges, including petitions filed in the Supreme Court seeking to restrain the government from appointing top officials of the Election Commission as per the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023.
Chowdhury also mentioned that the Supreme Court had proposed the inclusion of the Chief Justice of India on the selection committee, but this suggestion was not considered. Home Minister Amit Shah and a search committee represented by Arjun Ram Meghwal were reportedly present at the meeting where the appointments were finalized.
