New Delhi: The UPA government has the right to announce the appointment of the next Army chief after it had received permission earlier from the Election Commission to make administrative appointments in the armed forces, defence sources have said.
The issue has been in the eye of a storm in the past few days after former Army chief and BJP member Gen. (retd.) V.K. Singh questioned the legitimacy of the UPA to make the appointment, saying the appointment should be made by the next government at the Centre.
Army vice chief Lt. Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag is the front-runner for the post of Army chief and will also be the senior-most serving officer when current Army chief Gen. Bikram Singh retires on July 31 this year.
Incidentally, the second senior-most serving officer in the Army is Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Ashok Singh whose son is married to the daughter of Gen. (retd.) V.K. Singh. In case Lt. Gen. Suhag is not appointed as the next Army chief, Lt. Gen. Ashok Singh will stand a strong chance.
