The Law Ministry on Monday (February 17) announced the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as India's 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), succeeding Rajiv Kumar, who will demit office on February 18. The ministry also notified the appointment of Vivek Joshi as an election commissioner. The new appointments will take effect from February 19, strengthening the Election Commission of India's leadership.
Who Is Gyanesh Kumar?
Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer, is the first CEC appointed under the new law governing the selection of Election Commission officials. An alumnus of IIT Kanpur, he holds a B.Tech in Civil Engineering and has further studied Business Finance at ICFAI and India & Environmental Economics at Harvard University.
With an extensive bureaucratic career, Kumar has held key positions in both the Kerala government and the Centre. He served as assistant collector of Ernakulam, sub-collector of Adoor, and municipal commissioner of Cochin, among other roles. At the central level, he worked as joint secretary in the Defence Ministry, secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and additional secretary in the Home Ministry.
