‘Go-getter’ who delivered on Article 370, officer who piloted Uttarakhand UCC — 2 new poll commissioners

Both former IAS officers are from 1988 batch. While Kumar has reputation of a go-getter, Sandhu is known for being non-controversial, say officers.

Former bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were appointed as Election Commissioners on Thursday | ANIFormer bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were appointed as Election Commissioners on Thursday | ANI

New Delhi: Two former bureaucrats closely involved in preparing the framework for abrogation of Article 370 and firming up the controversial Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand, were chosen by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection panel Thursday to fill the two vacant posts of Election Commissioners.

While 1988 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer Gyanesh Kumar was closely involved with the preparations for abrogation of Article 370, former Uttarakhand chief secretary and another 1988 cadre IAS officer Sukhvinder Singh Sandhu is credited with the implementation of UCC in the hill state. 

On Thursday evening, President Droupadi Murmu appointed Kumar and Sandhu as election commissioners with immediate effect.

One of the two posts of Election Commissioners fell vacant after the retirement of Anup Kumar Pandey in February. The other vacancy arose after the sudden resignation of Arun Goel on Saturday, amid reports of differences with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar.

The two vacancies left the Election Commission of India with just the CEC at a time the election body is busy making preparations for holding the parliamentary election in the world’s largest democracy. 

A post graduate in economics from Harvard University, Kumar was posted as joint secretary in the Union home ministry between May 2016 and September 2018 and additional secretary between September 2018 and April 2021.The Modi government had announced the decision to abrogate Article 370 on 5 August, 2019. 

Kumar has a reputation of being a go-getter, several Kerala cadre bureaucrats told ThePrint. “He is a very efficient, very hard-working officer. He has a reputation as a go-getter and he delivers  — as he delivered on Article 370. He earns the trust of his superiors and he will never say something can’t be done,” a senior Kerala cadre IAS officer said. 

Kumar retired as secretary, Union Ministry of Cooperation in January. 

The Kerala cadre IAS officer is also considered close to Union home minister Amit Shah, a second bureaucrat posted in a central ministry said. 

After his term in the home ministry, Kumar was appointed the parliamentary affairs secretary for a year. In May 2022, he moved on to become the secretary of the newly formed Ministry of Cooperation under Shah. 

He has held charges in important central ministries including defence, where he handled defence production.  

An IIT-Kanpur alumni with a degree in civil engineering, Kumar courted controversy during his tenure as the Kerala PWD secretary. In 2006, a Malaysian contractor, who was the chief project officer of a World Bank aided road project, committed suicide blaming government officials and the PWD ministry for harassing him and delaying payments to his firm. 

However, a senior Kerala cadre IAS officer told ThePrint that the episode has got nothing to do with Kumar. “Payments will be held up when the work is not done. Such things are processed very quickly in Malaysia, but that’s not how it works here. The person had severe issues and there was pressure from his company,” the officer said. 

UCC had smooth sail under Sandhu

Punjab native Sandhu, who has an MBBS degree from Guru Nanak Dev Amritsar Medical College as well as a Masters degree in History, was one of the bureaucrats behind firming up of the UCC in Uttarakhand. He was the chief secretary of the state from July 2021 to August 2023. 

The Uttarakhand UCC Bill was passed in the assembly in February and recently got the Presidential assent. 

After his retirement, Sandhu was appointed as secretary to the Lokpal in February on a contract basis for a one-year period. 

“He was from Uttar Pradesh cadre but after the bifurcation of the state, he was allotted Uttarakhand cadre,” a bureaucrat posted in a central ministry told ThePrint. 

The Uttarakhand cadre IAS has also served as principal secretary to the then Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal. “He was on deputation to the state,” the officer quoted earlier said. 

Prior to becoming the Uttarakhand chief secretary, Sandhu also served as the chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). 

“He has a non-controversial reputation and is a conformist by nature,” a second bureaucrat serving in a central ministry said. 

Sandhu was the recipient of the President of India Medal, which was given to him in 2001 by the then President in recognition of service rendered during Census of India. He was also awarded the ‘Manager of the Year 2000′ award for contribution made as the commissioner of Ludhiana municipal corporation.

Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is a member of the PM-led selection panel, registered his dissent and called the selection of the two Election Commissioners as “fait accompli”.

Talking to reporters after the meeting of the selection panel, Chowdhury said that he was given the name of over 200 shortlisted officers at the eleventh hour. “How does one go through a list of over 200 shortlisted officers in such a short time and decide who is competent,” he told reporters.

(Edited by Tony Rai)