“Gyanesh Kumar Appointed New Election Commissioner: Key Details and Significance”
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticized the selection process for the new chief election commissioner (CEC), calling it “disrespectful and inconsiderate” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to make a “midnight decision.” He raised objections over the exclusion of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from the selection committee, arguing that this move undermines the credibility of the Election Commission, especially with a Supreme Court hearing on the matter scheduled within the next 48 hours.
On Monday, the Centre appointed Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer and former parliamentary affairs secretary, as the new CEC. The selection panel included PM Modi, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi, who participated in the meeting, expressed his dissent on X, stating: “During the committee meeting to choose the next Election Commissioner, I submitted a dissent note to the PM and HM, highlighting that the most crucial aspect of an independent Election Commission free from executive interference is the process of selecting the Election Commissioner and chief election commissioner.”
Gandhi further accused the Modi government of disregarding a Supreme Court ruling by excluding the CJI from the selection panel, calling it a move that “deepened the concerns of millions of voters about the integrity of our electoral process.”
“As the LoP, it is my duty to uphold the values of Babasaheb Ambedkar and our nation’s founding leaders and hold the government accountable. It is both disrespectful and inconsiderate for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision on selecting the new CEC when the composition of the committee and the process are under challenge in the Supreme Court, with a hearing due in less than forty-eight hours,” Gandhi added.
The Congress party issued an official statement on Monday, stating that the meeting should have been postponed until the Supreme Court delivered its final ruling on the composition of the selection panel. “The Congress party believes that since the Supreme Court will hear the matter on February 19 and issue a decision on the committee’s composition, today’s meeting should have been postponed,” the statement read.
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi also condemned the government’s actions, suggesting that the exclusion of the CJI was an attempt to exert control over the Election Commission rather than ensure its integrity. “By removing or attempting to exclude the Chief Justice from the CEC appointment process, the government has made it clear that they want control, not credibility. The credibility of the Election Commission is paramount,” Singhvi said.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi raised the issue in Parliament, questioning the Prime Minister about the decision to exclude the CJI from the selection panel. “The rules have changed. The election commissioner used to be selected by the Prime Minister, the leader of the opposition, and the Chief Justice. Why was the Chief Justice removed from the committee?” he asked. This referred to the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which altered the selection panel’s composition by excluding the CJI.
The appointment is significant as the current CEC, Rajiv Kumar, is set to retire on February 18. Gyanesh Kumar will become the senior-most Election Commissioner following his departure, with his tenure lasting until January 26, 2029.
