New Delhi: During the Lok Sabha election, the Narendra Modi government extended the tenure of General Manoj Pande as Army Chief by one month. This decision was taken by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister. General Pandey was scheduled to retire on May 31. He was turning 62 on that day. It has been decided to keep him on the post till June 30. Which means, after the Lok Sabha elections, the new government will decide on the new army chief. There has been a buzz in the political arena about the reasons behind this decision. In the past, in 1975, Indira Gandhi’s government had extended the tenure of General GG Beur as Army Chief by one year.
Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, the current Sub-Army Chief, is expected to become the Army Chief after the current Army Chief General Pandey. In 1984 he joined 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. After him, the current Southern Commander Lt. Gen. Ajay Kumar Singh is also in the running for the post of Chief of Army Staff. He joined the 7/11 Gorkha Rifles in 1984. The current army chief joined the Engineers course in 1982. He was appointed Army Chief in April 2022.
