New Delhi, 18 February 2025, Gyanesh Kumar, an Election Commissioner, has been appointed as India’s 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the Law Ministry announced Monday night. His tenure runs until January 26, 2029, just before the Election Commission is expected to announce the schedule for the next Lok Sabha elections.
Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, previously served in the Union Home Ministry, where he played a key role in implementing decisions following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He took charge as an Election Commissioner on March 15, 2024.
His tenure as CEC will see him oversee key elections, including the Bihar Assembly polls later this year and the Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal Assembly elections in 2026.
Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch Haryana-cadre IAS officer currently serving as Haryana’s Chief Secretary, has been appointed as an Election Commissioner. The Law Ministry notification stated that the appointments were made following a recommendation by the Selection Committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
Kumar’s appointment is the first under the new Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which came into force in December 2023. The law, which replaces the previous selection process, is currently facing a legal challenge in the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court is set to hear petitions arguing that the new selection process favors the Executive, as the committee now includes the Prime Minister, a Union Minister nominated by the government, and the Leader of Opposition, unlike the previous Supreme Court ruling, which suggested the Chief Justice of India should be part of the panel.
Rajiv Kumar, the outgoing CEC, demits office on Tuesday.
