On February 17, Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The Law Ministry had issued a notification in this regard. Today he has taken charge.
1988 batch IAS officer Gyanesh Kumar has assumed charge as Chief Election Commissioner today on Wednesday, 19 February. He will be the 26th Chief Election Commissioner and his tenure will be till 26 January 2029. After assuming charge, the CEC made a special appeal to the young voters. Gyanesh Kumar said that voting is the first step of nation building, so anyone who has crossed the age of 18 should vote. The Election Commission of India has always been with the voters and will always be.
Gyanesh was appointed CEC on 17 February
Let us tell you that on February 17, Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The Law Ministry had issued a notification in this regard and gave information. The selection committee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi had a meeting in Delhi in this regard, in which Gyanesh Kumar was chosen as the successor of Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.
At the same time, Haryana Chief Secretary Vivek Joshi was appointed Election Commissioner after the promotion of Gyanesh Kumar. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, who was appointed as Election Commissioner along with Gyanesh Kumar, will continue in his post. Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre, is the senior of the two commissioners in the three-member panel, which was headed by Rajiv Kumar. The second commissioner of the panel is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, an officer of Uttarakhand cadre.
Know who is Gyanesh Kumar
Gyanesh Kumar is a retired IAS officer of 1988 Kerala cadre. Earlier he has served as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Cooperation. During his tenure in the Ministry of Home Affairs, he played an important role in the establishment of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Gyanesh Kumar played an important role in handling Jammu and Kashmir affairs. When Article 370 was declared ineffective in 2019, he was in charge of the Jammu and Kashmir desk in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
He has also held several positions in Kerala, including District Collector of Ernakulam and MD of Kerala State Cooperative Bank. He holds a BTech degree in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur and studied Business Finance from ICFAI and Environmental Economics from Harvard University. He took charge as Election Commissioner on March 15, 2024 and was one of the two commissioners appointed by the selection panel along with Sukhbir Sandhu of Uttarakhand cadre.
