Govt intends to expand selection canvass of Army chief?

The decision to extend the tenure of Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande was unexpected given that military service chiefs typically do not get such short-term extensions and it simply signifies that the government is planning to extend the canvass of selection of new Army chief. Earlier, seniority being the preferred criterion, but the union government of the present day has sometimes used a seniority-cum-merit formula while making selections. Until the announcement of extension to General Pande, it was widely anticipated in the corridors of South Block that Lt Gen. Upendra Dwivedi, the current Army vice-chief and next seniormost officer, would be named successor. But now besides Lt Gen. Dwivedi, four more Army officers are thought to be contenders for the post of Army chief: Southern Command chief Lt Gen. Ajai Kumar Singh, Northern Command chief Lt Gen. Suchindra Kumar (June 1985 batch), Central Command chief Lt Gen. Subramani (December 1985 batch) and Integrated Defence Staff chief Lt Gen. Mathews (December 1985 batch). The delay in announcement created speculation as it went against the past practice of the government of the day making public a new service chief’s name well in advance in order to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.