Anup Pandey retires as election commissioner, vacancy in 3-member EC
New Delhi (PTI): Anup Chandra Pandey on Wednesday demitted office as an election commissioner on attaining the age of 65, creating a vacancy in the three-member Election Commission.
He had joined the commission in June 2021 after a career spanning around 37 years in the central government as well as the Uttar Pradesh government.
Pandey's retirement comes days before the Election Commission (EC) is to announce the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls.
According to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, a search committee headed by the law minister and comprising two Union secretaries will short-list five candidates for the consideration of the prime minister-led selection committee.
The search committee was to meet on February 7, but the meeting was postponed, sources said.
The Union home secretary and the secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training have been named as its members.
The Congress' leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, and a Union minister nominated by the prime minister are part of the selection committee.
The selection panel has the power to consider even those not short-listed by the search committee.
The president will appoint the election commissioner or the chief election commissioner based on the name recommended by the selection committee.
Before the new law came into force, the chief election commissioner and election commissioners were appointed by the president on the recommendation of the government.
Besides Pandey, Arun Goel is an election commissioner. Rajiv Kumar is the chief election commissioner.
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Bumrah keeps battle alive; Australia score 311/6 after impressive Konstas debut
Melbourne, Dec 26: Jasprit Bumrah's knack of coming up with magic deliveries in crunch situations kept India alive after Australia's top-order, headlined by teen debutant Sam Konstas' stroke-filled half-century, guided the hosts to 311 for 6 on the opening day of the fourth Test here on Thursday.
If Konstas' audacious 60 off 65 balls enthralled the near sell-out crowd of over 80,000 at the MCG during a humid morning session, Bumrah's (3/75 in 21 overs) deception of length to dismiss Travis Head (0) also had its takers as chants of 'Boom, Boom, Booooomraaaaaaah' reverberated through the stands.
Coming into the Test with back-to-back hundreds, Head couldn't judge the length of a Bumrah delivery that was pitched slightly fuller than what the batter expected. He shouldered his arms trusting the bounce but the 66.2 overs old Kookaburra nipped back to clip the off-bail.
In the next over, he removed an out-of-form Mitchell Marsh (4), having got Usman Khawaja (57 off 121 balls) with the half-tracker in the post-lunch session.
The first two sessions, however, belonged to Australia with senior players Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne (72 off 145 balls) and Steve Smith (68 batting, 111 balls) scoring half-centuries.
The final session was all about Bumrah magic. The Indian spearhead didn't let the hosts completely walk away with the game which they threatened to do at one stage.
He now has 24 wickets in the series. With Mohammed Siraj (0/69 in 15 overs) off-colour, Bumrah didn't have much support save off-spinner Washington Sundar (1/37 in 12 overs), who bowled a containing line.
Akash Deep (1/59 in 19 overs) though got Alex Carey with the second new ball at the fag end of the day.
Even Ravindra Jadeja (1/54 in 14 overs) leaked runs despite getting Konstas out and Nitish Reddy, the batting all-rounder, was only used before the second new ball was taken.
