Before assuming the top army post, General Pandey was serving as the vice chief. He is the first officer from the 'Corps of Engineers' to lead the force. General Pandey has also served as the Commander-in-Chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command, India's only tri-service command. He has been an alumnus of the National Defense Academy.

Amidst the Lok Sabha elections, the government has extended the tenure of the Army Chief by one month. Army Chief General Manoj Pandey was to retire on May 31. But now according to the new order of the government, General Pandey will retire on June 30. General Pandey took over as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff on April 30, 2022, after the retirement of General MM Naravane. The Defense Ministry said in a statement, "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, under Rule 16A (4) of the Army Rules, 1954, has granted one month extension in service to Army Chief General Manoj C Pandey, effective from the date of his superannuation (31 May onwards till 30th June. ''General Pandey joined the 'Corps of Engineers' (The Bombay Sappers) in December 1982. He held the post of 'Vice Chief of the Army Staff' before taking over the reins of the Army in April 2022.

Who will be the next army chief

This decision of the government has increased the suspense on the new Chief. Speculations have started about whether the extension of General Pandey's tenure by one month will affect the selection plan of the next Chief. The current co-Army Chief, Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi, will take over for this post. Are considered to be strong contenders. Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi is retiring on June 30. Along with these, Army Southern Command chief Lieutenant General AK Singh will also retire on June 30. In such a situation, there is speculation as to who will take command of the army after June 30.   Both Army officers, Lieutenant General Dwivedi and Lieutenant General Singh are course classmates.

Announcement may be made after the elections

There is also speculation that the government may announce the name of the new Chief after the elections. However, the name of the new Navy Chief was also announced during the elections. Most of the time there has been a tradition in the army that only a senior officer is made the chief.

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