Bureaucrats Sukhbir Sandhu, Gyanesh Kumar Appointed Election Commissioners

Bureaucrats Balbir Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been selected as new election commissioners by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection committee, said Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is an Opposition member in the panel, however, registered his dissent and questioned the selection process, alleging the short-listed names of officers were not made available to him in advance.

“They (government) have the majority. Earlier, they had given me 212 names, but 10 minutes before the appointment they again gave me just six names. I know that the the Chief Justice of India isn't there, The government has made such a law that the CJI doesn't interfere and the central government can choose a favourable name. I am not saying that it's arbitrary but the procedure that is being followed has some lacunae,” the Congress leaders told at a press conference after the meeting of the selection committee.