Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, claimed on Thursday that bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Sandhu were appointed as the election commissioners ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The government is yet to make an official announcement on the same.
He made the comments after a meeting of a three-member high-level selection board led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to select two election commissioners was held earlier today. Chowdhury is one of the three members of the panel appointed to pick the poll officers.
Chowdhury, however, expressed his objection to the process of appointing the election commissioners.
"I got a list of 212 names late at night and today morning, I had to go to the Prime Minister's residence with that list. With such a short time, how can I use my brain to decide when the meeting will take place at 12 pm today," he added.
"Of the six names, the names of Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were finalised for appointment as election commissioners," Chowdhury said.
The meeting comes days after Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned in a shock move, which triggered a row. The Opposition called it "deeply concerning" and alleged "systematic decimation" of independent institutions.
A full three-member Election Commission is critical with the general elections on the horizon. According to sources, the Election Commission is likely to announce the dates of the Lok Sabha polls on March 15 or 16.
Petitions challenging the constitutionality of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which dropped the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel for election commissioners, are already pending in the Supreme Court.
"Home Minister Amit Shah and a search committee in the representation of Arjun Ram Meghwal were also there in the meeting," he said.
