Who Are Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Sandhu? Ex-Bureaucrats Who Took Charge As New Election Commissioners

Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu assumed their roles as Election Commissioners on Friday. This marks the first appointments to the poll panel following the implementation of new legislation regulating the selection process for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (ECs). 

The vacancies came up after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the unexpected resignation of Arun Goel on March 9. From a pool of over 200 candidates, the search committee chaired by the Law Minister shortlisted Kumar and Sandhu. Here's all you need to know about both bureaucrat: 

Who is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu? 

Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, born in 1963 is a retired 1998-batch IAS officer. He held the position of chief secretary in Uttarakhand and previously served as additional secretary in the Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. He also chaired the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). 

Recognised for his contributions, Sandhu was honoured with the President's Medal for his role as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was also awarded the President of India Medal in 2001 for his efforts during the Census of India. 

Who is Gyanesh Kumar? 

Gyanesh Kumar, a retired IAS officer from the 1988 Kerala cadre, concluded his service as Cooperation Secretary on January 31 of this year. Previously, Kumar held positions such as Parliamentary Affairs Secretary at the Central government and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs during the revocation of Article 370 in 2019. 

Kumar played a pivotal role in the timely introduction of the CRCS-Sahara refund portal, facilitating genuine depositors of four Multi-State Cooperative Societies under the Sahara Group to submit their claims. 

Previously, Kumar served as Joint Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence from 2007 to 2012, during the tenure of the UPA government.