PM-chaired high-powered panel to meet on March 15 to appoint ECs

New Delhi: The prime minister-chaired high-powered committee will meet on March 15 to finalise the names of new election commissioners, top sources said.

Two vacancies of election commissioners came about following the resignation of Arun Goel on Saturday and Anup Chandra Pandey's retirement last month.

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The panel is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has a Union minister and the Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. It will meet on March 15 and name the persons for appointment as election commissioners.

The election commissioners will be appointed by the president.

The sources said the appointment of two new election commissioners is likely to be made by March 15 to fill the vacancies created by Pandey's retirement and Goel's surprise resignation.

They said the notice for the meeting was sent on Saturday afternoon, before Goel's resignation in the evening.

The sources added that during the meeting, two appointments of election commissioners are likely to be made against one, as anticipated earlier.