iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The Indian government announced the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Monday, February 17, succeeding Rajiv Kumar, who is set to retire on February 18.
Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, is senior to the other two commissioners on the three-member panel led by Rajiv Kumar.
The other members of the panel are Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, an officer from the Uttarakhand cadre, and Vivek Joshi.
The government also appointed Vivek Joshi as Election Commissioner. Joshi, a former Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner, brings valuable experience to the role.
A three-member selection committee, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met on Monday to select Rajiv Kumar’s successor. The committee included PM Modi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
This marks the first appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioner Act, 2023, which came into effect in December 2023.
Under this provision, Gyanesh Kumar and S.S. Sandhu were appointed as Election Commissioners in March 2024, filling vacancies left by the resignation of Arun Goel and the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey.
Rajiv Kumar, who joined the Election Commission of India (ECI) as Election Commissioner on September 1, 2020, assumed the position of Chief Election Commissioner on May 15, 2022. During his 4.5-year tenure, Kumar implemented significant reforms in areas such as structural changes, technology, capacity development, communication, international cooperation, and administration.
He successfully oversaw one full electoral cycle, including elections in 31 States/UTs, the 2022 Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and Rajya Sabha renewals, all conducted peacefully with minimal issues.
(Photo courtesy: IANS)
