NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection committee has appointed Gyanesh Kumar as India’s next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), replacing Rajiv Kumar, who retires on Tuesday upon reaching the age of 65.
Rajiv Kumar, who took charge as CEC in May 2022, oversaw several key elections, including the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 and various state assembly polls. His tenure was marked by efforts to enhance electoral transparency and voter participation. His retirement paves the way for a new leadership at the Election Commission of India (ECI), with Gyanesh Kumar taking the helm.
However, the appointment process has sparked controversy. The Congress party urged the government to defer the selection until the Supreme Court hears a petition challenging the revised appointment process for the CEC and election commissioners. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi criticised the exclusion of the Chief Justice of India from the selection panel, alleging that the government seeks to control the Election Commission rather than maintain its credibility.
Who is Gyanesh Kumar?
- Gyanesh Kumar is a retired IAS officer from the 1988 Kerala cadre.
- He has previously served as Secretary in the ministry of parliamentary affairs and the Ministry of Cooperation.
- He was instrumental in setting up the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust during his tenure at the ministry of home affairs.
- Kumar played a key role in handling Jammu and Kashmir affairs when
Article 370 was revoked in 2019. - He has also worked in various capacities in Kerala, including as District Collector of Ernakulam and MD of Kerala State Cooperative Bank.
- He holds a BTech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur and has studied Business Finance at ICFAI and Environmental Economics at Harvard University.
He took charge as an election commissioner on March 15, 2024, and was one of the two commissioners appointed by the selection panel, alongside Sukhbir Sandhu from the Uttarakhand cadre.