Gyanesh Kumar Appointed as CEC Amid Rahul Gandhi’s Dissent

As Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar prepares to retire on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi met on Monday to appoint Gyanesh Kumar, one of the two current Election Commissioners, as his successor.

During the 30-minute meeting, Gandhi submitted a dissent note, urging the government to delay the appointment until the Supreme Court rules on petitions challenging the new selection process. The apex court is set to hear the matter on Wednesday.

This is the first CEC appointment under the 2023 Election Commissioners Act, which introduced a selection panel for the post. Previously, CECs and Election Commissioners were appointed directly by the President on the PM’s advice, with seniority determining succession.

Rajiv Kumar, who held office for nearly three years, oversaw 31 Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls during his tenure.

PM Modi to Meet Qatar Emir

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi and President Droupadi Murmu will meet Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, who arrived in India for a two-day state visit.

The Emir will receive a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, followed by bilateral talks at Hyderabad House with Modi and Ministry of External Affairs officials. He will later meet President Murmu.

This is the Emir’s second visit to India, following his 2015 trip at the invitation of the Prime Minister.

DMK Protests Against NEP; Union Minister Calls Opposition ‘Political’

Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK and its allies are set to intensify their opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP) on Tuesday, even as Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan dismissed the protest as “politics.”

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin condemned the Centre’s insistence on NEP as “atrocious,” particularly its three-language formula, which includes Hindi, arguing that Tamil Nadu cannot accept it.

Pradhan, however, defended the policy, stating that it does not impose Hindi but promotes multilingual education. Meanwhile, AIADMK, a former NDA ally, reaffirmed its commitment to the two-language policy, urging the Centre to reconsider the trilingual approach.

Harshvardhan Sapkal Appointed Maharashtra Congress Chief

Following its poor performance in the 2024 Assembly elections, the Congress has appointed Harshvardhan Sapkal as its new Maharashtra chief, replacing Nana Patole on Tuesday.

Sapkal, a former MLA from Buldhana, was appointed on February 14 after Patole completed his four-year tenure. His immediate challenge will be the long-pending civic polls while also managing internal discontent over his selection.

Senior Congress leaders like Prithviraj Chavan, Satej Patil, and Vishwajeet Kadam have expressed concerns over the high command’s choice of a relatively unknown leader instead of a more aggressive figure to revitalize the party.

Key Court Hearings & Gujarat Poll Results Expected

• Supreme Court Hearing: The apex court will hear petitions, including one filed by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), regarding the disqualification of 10 BRS MLAs who defected to Congress.
• Sajjan Kumar Sentencing: A Delhi court will hear arguments on the sentencing of former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, convicted in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
• Gujarat Local Body Polls: Results for local body elections in Gujarat are expected, where the BJP has already won one-tenth of the over 2,000 seats uncontested.