As the Opposition mulls moving a motion of removal against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, experts and activists on Tuesday (March 10, 2026) said the appointment process for the CEC and the Election Commissioners (ECs) needs to be made “broad-based” and “transparent”.
Suggestions included a fourth member on the selection panel, the requirement of a two-thirds majority in Parliament to clear the appointment of a CEC, and public financing of poll campaigns.
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At a conference on Electoral and Political Reforms organised by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), former members of the judiciary, former Election Commissioners, politicians and activists said there needed to be a rethink on the composition of the panel to select the CEC and the ECs, which was formed after the enactment of The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.
The Act mandates a three-member selection committee headed by the Prime Minister. The other two members are a Union Minister nominated by the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha. The law was introduced after a March 2023 ruling by the Supreme Court that a selection panel should comprise the PM, the LoP, and the Chief Justice of India. The court had said the order would hold good until a law was made by Parliament.
