February 18th 2025.
On Monday, the law ministry announced that Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as the new chief election commissioner, taking over from his predecessor. This is a significant moment as Kumar is the first CEC to be appointed under a new law that governs the selection of Election Commission members.
Kumar's term will last until January 26, 2029, just days before the EC is expected to announce the schedule for the next Lok Sabha election. Along with Kumar, Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch Haryana-cadre Indian Administrative Service officer, has also been appointed as an election commissioner. Joshi, born on May 21, 1966, will serve in this role until 2031.
As per the law, a CEC or an EC retires at the age of 65 or can serve for a maximum of six years. Kumar's predecessor, Sushil Chandra, resigned from his role as the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes before joining the poll authority. Similarly, Joshi, a former Haryana chief secretary, has been on central deputation since January 2019.
During his tenure as the 26th CEC, Kumar will oversee the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections later this year, as well as the Kerala and Puducherry Assembly elections in 2026. He will also be responsible for overseeing the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, both of which are due in 2026.
Kumar's previous experience in the Union home ministry, where he played a key role in implementing decisions following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir, makes him a valuable addition to the Election Commission. He officially took charge as an election commissioner on March 15, 2024.
Interestingly, Kumar's appointment came just hours after the Congress party requested the government to postpone its decision until the Supreme Court concludes its hearing on a petition challenging the composition of the selection panel. This request was made by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during a meeting of the selection panel, which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also included Home Minister Amit Shah.
Kumar, a 1988-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer, holds a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur. He also studied Business Finance at ICFAI, India and Environmental Economics at Harvard University, US. In his career, he has held various positions in the government of Kerala, such as assistant collector of Ernakulam, sub-collector of Adoor, and municipal commissioner of the Corporation of Cochin.
He has also served as a secretary in the government of Kerala, handling diverse departments such as finance resources, fast-track projects, and public works. In the government of India, he has held the roles of joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence, joint secretary and additional secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, and secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Cooperation. He retired on January 31, 2024.
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