Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki administered the oath of office and secrecy to Kulbir Chhikara and Vandana Sharma as members of Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) at Haryana Raj Bhavan on Friday
Vandana Sharma is the sister of Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and had unsuccessfully contested her debut Assembly election in October 2014 from Safidon Assembly constituency in Jind district, losing to an independent candidate.
Kulbir Chhikara is chief editor with Hindi daily, Hari Bhoomi, which is owned by Haryana Finance Minister Capt Abhimanyu.
These are the first appointments that are being made to HPSC during the BJP rule in Haryana. last week, Haryana Cabinet had increased the number of HPSC members from six to eight in addition to the chairman.
A spokesperson of the State Government said that Kulbir Chhikkara MA, PhD English literature and MA (Mass Communication), served as lecturer in the Department of English, Kurukshetra University for over a decade. Vandana Sharma MA, Ph D Political Science worked as an Associate Professor at SGPG Mahila Mahavidhyalaya, Narwana.
Meanwhile, the opposition AAP has questioned the BJP over the appointment asking the criteria of the selection of these two members who are closely related to two Ministers.