Anup Chandra Pandey is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who has served in the state of Uttar Pradesh. On 9 June 2021, Anup Chandra Pandey was appointed as the Election Commissioner of India.
Wiki/Biography
Anup Chandra Pandey was born on Sunday, 15 February 1959 (age 62 years; as of 2021) in Chandigarh, India. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. Anup Chandra completed his formal education from Chandigarh and went to Punjab Engineering College to earn a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He then pursued a Master of Business Administration from Panjab University in materials management, and then further, he earned a Ph.D. in ancient history from Magadh University, Bihar. [1]Hindustan Times
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5’4
Eye Colour: Black
Hair Colour: Grey
Career
Anup Pandey graduated from the 1984-batch of Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer and he was commissioned as the Assistant Magistrate in Lucknow in 1985. Over the years, Anup Chandra Pandey has worked at various positions in the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Government of India. He was appointed as the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, Additional Chief Secretary for Infrastructure and Industrial Development. He also became the chairperson for Udyog Bandhu and the Industrial Development Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh. After working for several years, Anup Pandey was appointed as the additional secretary in the Department of Ex-servicemen Welfare of the Ministry of Defence in October 2014.
Commissioner of Infrastructure and Industrial Development
In September 2017, Anup Chandra Pandey became the Additional Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Infrastructure and Industrial Development of Uttar Pradesh. The ceremony was carried out by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Anup assumed the office on 9 September 2017, and he retired on 31 August 2019.
Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh
Anup Pandey was appointed as the Chief Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh government in June 2018. He retired from the post on 31 August 2019.
Election Commissioner of India
Anup Chandra Pandey was appointed as the Election Commissioner of India by the President of India, on 8 June 2021. Pandey assumed office on 9 June 2021. The official notification from the gazette read-
In pursuance of clause (2) of article 324 of the Constitution, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Anup Chandra Pandey, IAS (Retd.) (UP: 1984) as the Election Commissioner with effect from the date he assumes the office,”
Controversy
After Anup Chandra Pandey was appointed as the Election Commissioner, many people have opposed the decision of selecting Pandey as the new Election Commissioner including senior Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan and CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Ghosh. Prashant Bhushan raised his voice with a tweet on his Twitter account.
While our petition seeking a collegium to appoint EC was kept pending w/o hearing, Govt unilaterally appoints Adityanath’s handpicked man as EC! All regulatory institutions are being subverted by this govthttps://t.co/oETCN9qKMG
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) June 9, 2021
Facts/Trivia
- Anup Chandra Pandey was appointed as the Election Commissioner by the President of India and he will be joining the three-member bench along with Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Rajiv Kumar.
- Anup Chandra Pandey played an important role in planning, organizing, and coordinating the investor’s summit in 2018, and the Kumbh Mela in 2019. The investor summit was attended by delegates from across the globe and received an investment of over four lakh crores.
- During his service for the Government of India as the Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, Anup represented India in ILO, G20, and other international events.
- Anup Chandra has written a book titled ‘Governance in Ancient India.’ The book is focused on discussing the evolution, nature, scope, and all the related aspects of the Indian Civil Service System from the Rig Veda period to 650 AD.