In a major development, Gyanesh Kumar on Monday night was appointed as India's 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), replacing Rajiv Kumar. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act 2023, which established a new process for choosing the CEC, led to the appointment of Kumar, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala cadre who was born in the 1988 batch.
Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, and Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi met with the selection committee to finalise Gyanesh Kumar's appointment. In the late afternoon, the committee met at the Prime Minister's office in South Block and chose his name from a list of applicants it had shortlisted. Now, the question arises who is Gyanesh Kumar, New Chief Election Commissioner of India?
Who is Gyanesh Kumar, the new CEC of India?
Raised in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Gyanesh Kumar was born on 27 January 1964. The Chief Election Commissioner has a solid academic background. He graduated from IIT Kanpur with a BTech in Civil Engineering and went on to study Business Finance at ICFAI and Environmental Economics at Harvard University.
Kumar served as an election commissioner and held important positions such as legislative affairs secretary and cooperation secretary before assuming his current post as Chief Election Commissioner. Notably, from 2007 until 2012, he served as the Ministry of Defense's Joint Secretary.
The 2023 Act provided a new selection system that led to Kumar's appointment. The selection committee's recommendations are followed by the President of India for choosing the Chief Election Commissioner.
The Prime Minister heads the committee, which also consists of a Union Cabinet Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The most senior member of the Election Commission is designated as the CEC in accordance with this procedure. This is an important step towards enhancing the effectiveness and transparency of India's electoral system.