The Selection Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expected to meet today (March 14) to finalise the names of two new Election Commissioners. Following the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and an unexpected resignation from Arun Goel last Saturday, the Election Commission is left with two vacant seats. Shortly after their appointment, the new Election Commissioners will assume their duties to assist the Electoral Commission in organizing the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
A search committee chaired by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal met on Wednesday to compile a list of five candidates for consideration to occupy the two vacancies, a PTI report said quoting sources. Now, the selection committee led by PM Modi is expected to meet today to finalize the two names.
Following the recommendation of the selection committee, President Droupadi Murmu will proceed to appoint the two members of the poll panel. These appointments will mark the inaugural selections made under the new legislation. Moreover, the law grants authority to the three-member selection panel to appoint an individual who was not included in the shortlist compiled by the search committee.
As of now, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar is the only member of the poll authority.
Previously, the authority to appoint Election Commissioners solely rested with the Executive or the Union government. In response to petitions seeking a fair and transparent selection process for ECs, the Supreme Court, on March 2, 2023, ruled that “the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners shall be made by the President on the advice of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition of the Lok Sabha, and in case no Leader of the Opposition is available, the leader of the largest opposition Party in the Lok Sabha in terms of numerical strength, and the Chief Justice of India.” However, the SC noted that these regulations were “subject to any law to be made by Parliament.”
Consequently, the government passed The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which omitted the Chief Justice of India from the panel.