Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Sandhu: All you need to know about India’s new Election Commissioners

Congress’ Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday claimed that a panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appointed former IAS officer Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Sandhu as the new Election Commissioner.

The retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and the abrupt resignation of Arun Goel last week opened up two crucial spots in the post of Election Commissioner.

"They (government) have the majority (in the committee that appoints election commissioner). Earlier, they had given me 212 names, but 10 minutes before the appointment they again gave me just six names. I know that the CJI isn't there, government has made such a law that the CJI doesn't interfere and the Central govt can choose a favourable name. I am not saying that it's arbitrary but the procedure that is being followed has some lacunae," Chowdhury told reporters while revealing the names.


Kumar and Sandhu will join Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on the commission, ahead of an jam-packed election season in the nation.

Who is Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioner?

Kumar, a 1988-batch Kerala cadre officer has been chosen to be part of the election commission. He was a Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

During his Home Ministry tenure, Kumar oversaw the abrogation of Article 370.

Who is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Election Commissioner?

Sandhu is a former IAS officer of the 1988 batch from Uttarakhand cadre. Sandhu, originally from Punjab, was named the chief secretary of Uttarakhand when Pushkar Singh Dhami became the Chief Minister of the state in 2021.

Sandhu also served as the chairperson of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).