Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Sandhu picked as Election Commissioners, claims Adhir Chowdhury

Former IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Sandhu have been selected as Election Commissioners, Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said on Thursday. Kumar is from Kerala, while Sandhu is from Punjab. Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer, has served with Home Minister Amit Shah. He was the secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation.

Chowdhury, who was part of the selection panel along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, said he gave his dissent note as he was not provided the list of shortlisted candidates in advance. "One Mr Kumar from Kerala and one Mr B Sandhu from Punjab have been selected as Election Commissioners," he said while speaking to reporters.

"They (government) 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, 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 has some lacunae."