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{{EngvarB|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{confused| Chief Election Commissioner of India}}
{{Infobox official post
|post = Election Commissioner
|body = India
|flag = Flag of India.svg
|flagsize = 110px
|flagcaption = [[Flag of India]]
|insignia = Emblem_of_India.svg
|reports_to = [[Parliament of India|Parliament]]
|seat = Nirvachan Sadan, [[New Delhi]], India
|appointer = [[President of India]]
| incumbent = Rajiv Kumar & [[Anup Chandra Pandey]]
|image=
| deputy =
| incumbentsince = 1 September 2020 and 8 June 2021
|termlength = 6 years
|inaugural = [[Sukumar Sen (civil servant)|Sukumar Sen]]
|website = [http://eci.nic.in/eci/eci.html Election Commission of India]
}}
{{Politics of India}}
'''Election Commissioners of India''' are members of [[Election Commission of India]], a body [[Constitution of India|constitutionally]] empowered to conduct [[Elections in India|free and fair elections in India]] to the [[Parliament of India|national]] and state legislatures. The Election Commissioners are usually retired IAS or IRS officers.

Until 1989, the commission was a single member body, but later two additional Election Commissioners were added. Thus, the Election Commission currently consists of a [[Chief Election Commissioner of India|Chief Election Commissioner]] and two Election Commissioners. The decisions of the commission are taken by a [[majority vote]]. [[Sushil Chandra]] is the current 24th Chief Election Commissioner and the two Election Commissioners are Rajiv Kumar and [[Anup Chandra Pandey]].<ref>https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/breaking-news-live-updates-08-06-2021/liveblog/83327452.cms</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/om-prakash-rawat-appointed-new-cec-ashok-lawasa-made-ec/articleshow/62594075.cms|title=Om Prakash Rawat appointed new CEC, Ashok Lawasa made EC|date=21 January 2018|via=The Economic Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/cbdt-chief-sushil-chandra-appointed-as-election-commissioner/article26269650.ece|title= CBDT chief Sushil Chandra appointed as Election Commissioner|date=2019-02-14|accessdate=2019-02-15}}</ref>

== History ==
Originally in 1950, the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner. Two additional Commissioners were appointed to the commission for the first time on 16 October 1989 but they had a very short tenure, ending on 1 January 1990. ''The Election Commissioner Amendment Act, 1989'' made the Commission a multi-member body. The concept of a 3-member Commission has been in operation since then, with the decisions being made by a majority vote.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main1/the_setup.aspx|title=About ECI|website=Election Commission of India|url-status=live|access-date=9 September 2017}}</ref> the official website was introduced on 28 February 1998

== Removal ==
The Chief Election Commissioner cannot be removed from his post easily on account of any political reasons. This is necessary so as to preserve the independence of election commission. [[Chief Election Commissioner of India]] can be [[Impeachment|removed]] from his office by the [[President of India|President]] on the basis of a resolution passed to that effect by both the houses of parliament with a two-thirds majority in both the [[Lok Sabha]] and the [[Rajya Sabha]] on the grounds of proved misbehavior or incapacity. Other Election Commissioners can be removed by the President of India on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner. A Chief Election Commissioner has never been removed in India.

In 2009, just before the [[2009 Indian general election|2009 Lok Sabha Elections]], [[Chief Election Commissioner of India|Chief Election Commissioner]] [[N. Gopalaswami]] sent a recommendation to President [[Prathibha patil|Prathibha Patil]] to remove Election Commissioner [[Navin Chawla]], who was soon to take office as the Chief Election Commissioner and to subsequently supervise the Lok Sabha Election, citing his partisan behavior in favor of one political party.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/Chief-Election-Commissioner-Gopalaswami-lsquorecommendsrsquo-removal-of-Navin-Chawla/article16363593.ece|title=Chief Election Commissioner Gopalaswami ‘recommends’ removal of Navin Chawla|last=Ram|first=N.|date=31 January 2009|website=[[The Hindu]]|url-status=live|access-date=9 September 2017}}</ref> The President opined that such a recommendation is not binding on the President, and hence rejected it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/President-rejects-Gopalaswamirsquos-report-against-Navin-Chawla/article16628274.ece|title=President rejects Gopalaswami’s report against Navin Chawla|date=2 March 2009|website=[[The Hindu]]|url-status=live|access-date=9 September 2017}}</ref> Subsequently, after Gopalswami's retirement the next month, Chawla became the Chief Election Commissioner and supervised the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/A-job-well-done/article16596673.ece|title=A job well done|date=15 May 2009|website=[[The Hindu]]|url-status=live|access-date=9 September 2017}}</ref>

== Compensation ==
The Chief Election Commissioner and the two Election Commissioners who are usually [[Indian Administrative Service|retired IAS officers]] draw salaries and allowances at par with those of the Judges of the [[Supreme Court of India]] as per the ''Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Conditions of Service) Rules, 1992''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lawmin.nic.in/ld/P-ACT/1991/The%20Election%20Commission%20(Conditions%20of%20Service%20of%20Election%20Commissioners%20and%20Transaction%20of%20Business)%20Act,%201991.pdf|title=The Election Commission (Conditions of Service of Election Commissioners and Transaction of Business) Act, 1991 (Act No. 11 of 1991)|date=25 January 1991|website=[[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Ministry of Law and Justice]], [[Government of India]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329161649/http://lawmin.nic.in/ld/P-ACT/1991/The%20Election%20Commission%20(Conditions%20of%20Service%20of%20Election%20Commissioners%20and%20Transaction%20of%20Business)%20Act,%201991.pdf|archive-date=29 March 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=9 September 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[History of democracy#Indian subcontinent|History of democracy in the Indian-subcontinent]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commonscatinline}}

[[Category:Election Commission of India]]

Election Commissioner of India - Revision history

CleanupBot at 06:50, 11 December 2022