Who Are Sukhbir Singh Sandhu & Gyanesh Kumar, Newly Appointed Election Commissioners By PM Modi Led Panel

Retired IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were appointed as the Election Commissioners by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led high-level committee on Thursday.

Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu are retired IAS officers who have served in central ministries

Source : PTI, Jainendra Kumar

Retired IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were appointed as the Election Commissioners by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led high-level committee on Thursday.

The posts fell vacant after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and the surprise resignation by Arun Goel recently. Here's all you need to know about the new Election Commissioners.

Six names were shortlisted by the panel including Utpal Kumar Singh, Pradeep Kumar Tripathi, Gyanesh Kumar, Indevar Pandey, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Sudhir Kumar Gangadhar Rahate, all former bureaucrats. From these six names, the names of Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were finalised for appointment as election commissioners. 

Who Is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu?

Sukhbir Singh Sandhu is a retired IAS officer of 1998 batch. He was appointed the chief secretary for Uttarakhand government when Pushkar Singh Dhami became the chief minister in 2021. A recipient of President Medal for his services as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, Punjab, Sandhu degrees in MBBS, Law and History.

Sandhu has done his MBBS from Government Medical College, Amritsar. He also has a Master's Degree in History from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. He also has a degree in Law. 

Sandhu has also served as the chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). He also had a stint as additional secretary in the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development. 

Sandhu has also authored papers on 'Urban Reforms' and 'Municipal Management and Capacity Building'. 

Who is Gyanesh Kumar?

A former IAS officer, Gyanesh Kumar belongs to the 1988-batch Kerala-cadre. He retired from the services after his superannuation on January 31, 2024.

Kumar has served as secretary in the ministry of cooperation under Home Minister Amit Shah. He was also secretary at the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. 

Kumar has also overseen the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.