Gyanesh Kumar, a retired IAS officer, and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, a former IAS officer, were selected as the new Election Commissioners on Thursday by a high-level committee headed by Prime Min0ister Narendra Modi.
CEC Shri Rajiv Kumar welcomed the two newly-appointed Election Commissioners, Shri Gyanesh Kumar & Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu who joined the Commission today
#ECI #ChunavKaParv pic.twitter.com/9cHMWF0UOo— Spokesperson ECI (@SpokespersonECI) March 15, 2024
The positions became available following the unexpected resignation of Arun Goel on March 9 and the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14. The search committee led by the Law Minister is claimed to have shortlisted the names of six former bureaucrats: Utpal Kumar Singh, Pradeep Kumar Tripathi, Gyanesh Kumar, Indevar Pandey, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, and Sudhir Kumar Gangadhar Rahate. The group had received over 200 applications.
Following the recent enactment of a new law governing the nomination of Chief Election Commissioners (CECs) and ECs, they are the first individuals to have been named as poll panel members.
1. Who is Gyanesh Kumar?
On January 31, this year, Gyanesh Kumar, an IAS officer of the Kerala cadre who was born in 1988, retired from his position as Cooperation Secretary. Prior to that, Kumar was the Centre’s Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs. In 2019, he also held the position of Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, where he oversaw the repeal of Article 370.
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 both passed by the Cooperation Ministry during his tenure.
He was instrumental in the prompt 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.
During the UPA administration, Kumar worked at the Ministry of Defence as Joint Secretary (Defence Production) from 2007 to 2012.
2. Who is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu?
A graduate of Medicine from Amritsar’s Government Medical College, Mr Sandhu also holds a Master’s Degree in History from Guru Nanak Dev University.
Born in 1963, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu is a 1988 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Uttarakhand cadre.
Prior to that, Sandhu held important roles including Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand.
He has also held positions as secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, additional secretary in the Department of Higher Education, and secretary in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
With a degree in law, Sandhu has written articles on a variety of subjects, such as “Urban Reforms” and “Municipal Management and Capacity Building.” As a Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana, he received the President’s Medal for his services.
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