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Meet Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, India's new election commissioner

Meet Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, India's new election commissioner

Sukhbir Singh Sandhu

President Droupadi Murmu appointed Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as the new Election Commissioners on Thursday (March 14).

The Ministry of Law and Justice, issued an official statement on Thursday that said, "In exercise of powers conferred by Section 4 of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Act, 2023 (Act No. 49 of 2023), the President is pleased to appoint Gyanesh Kumar, IAS (Retd.) and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, IAS (Retd.), as Election Commissioners in the Election Commission of India, with effect from the date they assume charge of their office."

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The notification came hours after Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that two new election commissioners were chosen by a panel led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The major development comes days after Arun Goel abruptly stepped down from the post last week, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Who is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu?

Former bureaucrat, Sandhu is a retired IAS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre 1988 batch.

Born in 1963, he was appointed as the chief secretary of Uttarakhand at the time when Pushkar Singh Dhami took over as the CM of the state in the year 2021. He retired from the post on January 31, 2024.

Sandhu is learnt to have overseen the ideation for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in the state.

An MBBS from the Amritsar Medical College, Sandhu has served as the chairperson of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and has also served as additional secretary, of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development.

He holds a degree in law and also has a master's degree in history from Guru Nanak Dev University.

He has also authored papers on topics like 'Municipal Management and Capacity Building' and 'Urban Reforms'.

He was conferred with the President's Medal for his significant contributions during his tenure as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation in Ludhiana.

(With inputs from agencies)