Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead a committee next week to choose the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. This committee also includes Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet minister chosen by Modi. They will meet on either Sunday or Monday, just before the current CEC, Rajiv Kumar, retires on February 18.
The committee will pick a name from a list of candidates provided by a search committee. The President will then officially appoint the new CEC based on their choice. After Rajiv Kumar, Gyanesh Kumar, who is the senior-most election commissioner, will serve until January 26, 2029. There is also Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, another election commissioner.
In the past, the most senior election commissioner would automatically become the CEC when the current one retired. However, a new law was introduced last year that requires a search committee to shortlist five qualified candidates for the prime minister’s committee to review.
Besides choosing the new CEC, the committee might also select a new election commissioner to fill the vacancy left by Rajiv Kumar’s retirement. This new law about appointing CECs and ECs has never been applied to choose a CEC before. It was used to appoint Gyanesh Kumar and Sandhu last year after other commissioners retired.
According to the law, the CEC and other election commissioners must be people who have experience working at a senior government level and have knowledge of elections. This means they can be either current or former high-ranking officials in the government.
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