India
oi-Amit Vasudev
Election
Commissioner
Gyanesh
Kumar
was
appointed
as
the
next
Chief
Election
Commissioner
(CEC)
on
Monday,
17
February
2025,
as
announced
by
the
Law
Ministry.
He
is
the
first
CEC
to
be
appointed
under
a
new
law
governing
the
selection
of
members
of
the
Election
Commission
(EC).
Kumar
appointed
as
next
Chief
Election
Commissioner
His
tenure
will
last
until
January
26,
2029,
just
before
the
Election
Commission
is
expected
to
declare
the
schedule
for
the
next
Lok
Sabha
elections.
Kumar
was
appointed
following
a
meeting
of
a
three-member
committee
chaired
by
Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
in
New
Delhi.
He
is
set
to
assume
office
on
Wednesday,
19
February
2025,
the
same
day
the
Supreme
Court
is
scheduled
to
hear
a
challenge
against
the
law
under
which
his
selection
was
made.
As
the
senior-most
Election
Commissioner
after
outgoing
CEC
Rajiv
Kumar,
Gyanesh
Kumar
was
the
natural
choice
for
the
position.
Background
and
Career
Gyanesh
Kumar,
a
retired
Indian
Administrative
Service
(IAS)
officer
from
the
Kerala
cadre
(1988
batch),
previously
served
as
the
Union
Cooperation
Secretary
before
retiring
on
31
January
2024.
He
was
subsequently
appointed
as
Election
Commissioner
on
14
March
2024.
During
his
tenure
in
the
Union
Home
Ministry,
he
played
a
pivotal
role
in
executing
decisions
following
the
abrogation
of
Article
370
in
Jammu
and
Kashmir.
Education
and
Professional
Experience
Kumar
completed
a
B.Tech
in
Civil
Engineering
from
the
Indian
Institute
of
Technology
(IIT),
Kanpur.
He
further
studied
Business
Finance
at
ICFAI,
India,
and
Environmental
Economics
at
the
Harvard
Institute
for
International
Development
(HIID),
USA.
In
Kerala,
he
held
several
key
positions,
including
Assistant
Collector
of
Ernakulam,
Sub-Collector
of
Adoor,
Managing
Director
of
the
Kerala
State
Development
Corporation
for
SC/ST,
and
Municipal
Commissioner
of
Cochin.
As
Secretary
to
the
Kerala
government,
he
managed
portfolios
such
as
finance
resources,
fast-track
projects,
and
public
works.
At
the
central
level,
Kumar
gained
extensive
experience
serving
as
Joint
Secretary
in
the
Ministry
of
Defence,
as
well
as
Joint
Secretary
and
Additional
Secretary
in
the
Ministry
of
Home
Affairs.
He
also
held
the
positions
of
Secretary
in
the
Ministry
of
Parliamentary
Affairs
and
the
Ministry
of
Cooperation
before
his
retirement.
Upcoming
Elections
As
the
26th
Chief
Election
Commissioner,
Kumar
will
oversee
several
crucial
elections,
including
the
Bihar
Assembly
elections
later
this
year.
In
2026,
he
will
be
responsible
for
conducting
the
Kerala
and
Puducherry
Assembly
elections,
as
well
as
the
Assembly
elections
in
Tamil
Nadu
and
West
Bengal.
