The Supreme Court refused to stay the appointment of two election commissioners – Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu – whose names were finalized yesterday. The court will hear the case on Thursday.

Former IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were selected by a selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Gyanesh Kumar retired as secretary in the cooperation ministry in February, while Sukhbir Singh Sandhu served as former chief secretary to the Uttarakhand government.

Mr. Sandhu, a 1988-batch IAS officer, retired from the post of Principal Secretary on January 31, 2024.

There was a vacancy in the Election Commission (EC) following the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the sudden resignation of Arun Goel on March 8.

The poll panel was headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

The dates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the four state assembly elections will be announced tomorrow at 3 pm.

The term of the current Lok Sabha will end on June 16, before which a new chamber must be formed.

The last Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 10 and will be held in seven phases starting from April 11. The counting date is May 23.