New Delhi: Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been appointed as the new Election Commissioners. However, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Opposition member in the panel, registered his dissent, questioning the process followed, saying the short-listed names of officers were not made available to him in advance.
The two were selected on the basis of consensus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of the committee.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Chowdhury said a total of six names had come up before the committee. Among them, the names of Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been finalised.
However, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Opposition member in the panel, registered his dissent, questioning the process followed, saying the short-listed names of officers were not made available to him in advance. Chowdhury said he had asked for a short list before the meeting which could have given him details of all the shortlisted candidates. He said the Government had sent the names of 212 officers Wednesday.
The exhaustive list included the names of 92 officers who retired as Secretary and Secretary equivalent in Government of India, 93 names of officers serving as Secretary and Secretary equivalent officers in Government of India, 15 officers who retired as Chief Secretaries of state and union territories in last one year, 28 and 8 officers serving as chief secretaries in states and union territories.
pallavi shetty