Retired IAS officers Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been appointed as the new Election Commissioners on March 14. This move comes in response to vacant positions left after Anup Chandra Pandey’s retirement in February and the resignation of Arun Goel. The urgency of preparing for the upcoming 2024 India general election also played a key role in these appointments.
Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, a retired IAS officer from the 1998 batch, previously served as the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand, a position he held during Pushkar Singh Dhami’s tenure as Chief Minister of the state in 2021. His illustrious career includes serving as the Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and as Additional Secretary in the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development. Sandhu holds an MBBS from Government Medical College, Amritsar, a Master’s Degree in History from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and a law degree.
Gyanesh Kumar, a retired IAS officer from the 1988 batch of the Kerala cadre, has previously held crucial roles such as Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation under the leadership of Amit Shah. Before this, he served as Secretary at the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. Kumar retired from active service on January 31, 2024, bringing a fresh perspective and extensive experience to his new role as Election Commissioner.
