PM, Shah, Rahul to meet next week to select new poll panel chief
NEW DELHI: With chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar retiring on February 18, govt has initiated the process of appointing his successor, besides appointing the third election commissioner, a vacancy that will occur after Kumar’s exit.
The meeting of the Prime Minister-led panel, which appoints CEC and election commissioners, will be held after the PM Narendra Modi returns from his US trip, with sources indicating February 17 as the likely date.
The selection panel comprises the Prime Minister, leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha and the Union home minister.
As per convention, the leader of opposition is informed in advance about the schedule of the meeting with the list of shortlisted candidates. However, neither govt nor the opposition party has indicated any names or the list of five shortlisted candidates that is prepared by a search committee headed by the Union law minister, for consideration of the selection committee.
Election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar is the senior-most commissioner after CEC Kumar and most likely to succeed him.
The other election commissioner, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu – who belongs to the same batch of IAS and retires from govt service on the same day as Kumar – was appointed to the poll panel on the same day as Kumar, but the latter is considered senior since his name figured first in the common appointment notification for the two issued in March 2024.