Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were appointed as election commissioners by the selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Newly appointed Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu took charge of office on Friday. Both of them were appointed as election commissioners by the selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
As the new election commissioners were appointed now, it is expected that the Election Commission will announce the dates for the 2024 General elections anytime soon. Some of the media reports claimed that the EC might announce the Lok Sabha poll schedule on Friday. Earlier, it was reported that the EC will announce the poll schedule after completing its national survey of poll preparedness in every state. Notably, the EC concluded its survey with a tour of Jammu and Kashmir this week.
Two newly-appointed Election Commissioners, Gyanesh Kumar and Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu joined the Commission today: ECI pic.twitter.com/N5ZXd4RxQQ
— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2024
Ahead of the announcement of the schedule, the regional and national parties have already started poll campaign in different states and also released the candidate list. The BJP has till now released two lists of 267 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls and the Congress announced the names of 82 candidates over two lists.
The selection committee consisting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Law Minister Arjun Meghwal and Leader of Opposition met earlier to consider names for the vacant positions of election commissioner.
Gyanesh Kumar retired as secretary of the cooperation ministry in February, while Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, was former Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand. Sandhu, a 1988 batch IAS officer, retired from the post of Chief Secretary on January 31, 2024.
On December 12, the Rajya Sabha passed a bill to regulate the appointment and service terms of Chief Election Commissioners and election commissioners. The bill replaces the Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991.
As per the Bill, the CEC and ECs will be appointed by the President upon the recommendation of a Selection Committee, which will consist of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and the Leader of the Opposition or leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha.
The first task before the new election commissioner will be to ensure the successful conduct of the Lok Sabha polls which are slated to be held in April-May this year.
