Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that retired IAS officers Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar have been named as the new election commissioners by a panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, there has been no official confirmation of the same.
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, who attended the meeting to pick new election commissioners alleged that the process was “rigged”. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that he was handed a list of 212 names on the eve of the meeting that was chaired by PM Modi and also attended by Union Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah.
Adhir Chowdhury, the sole representative of opposition parties in the panel, said the selection process was “fait accompli” that the government’s pre-decided candidates would be chosen for the posts.
“They have give me the list but it had (the names of) all 212 aspirants. Is it humanly possible for me to examine 212 names to find out the most competent persons among them. So, it was fate accompli,” the Congress leader said.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also claimed that he was given a list of six shortlisted names only 10 minutes before the panel meeting began.
Chowdhury, while addressing reporters after the meet, said six names came up before the panel for the selection of the two election commissioners and the names of Sandhu and Kumar were finalised by a majority of members of the high-powered panel.
The six names shortlisted were that of Utpal Kumar Singh, Pradeep Kumar Tripathi, Gyanesh Kumar, Indevar Pandey, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Sudhir Kumar Gangadhar Rahate, all former bureaucrats.
Chowdhury said he attended the meeting as “all feel” that the posts of election commissioners should not remain vacant.
Adhir Chowdhury also alleged bias and claimed that as “the majority (in the selection panel) is in favour of the government, whatever it wants will happen” and “the election commissioners selected according to the wishes of the government”.
According to a PTI report, Adhir Chowdhury said he did not give any names by himself and only raised the issues about procedure.
There was no clarity on how the six names were shortlisted from more than the 200 which are said to have come before the search committee headed by the law minister, he said and added that the CJI should have been part of the selection committee.
The Election Commission of India encountered two vacancies after Arun Goel abrupt resignation, and Anup Chandra Pandey’s retirement on February 14.
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Published: 14 Mar 2024, 06:52 PM IST