Gyanesh Kumar appointed CEC, Vivek Joshi election commissioner; Congress says ‘hastily-taken decision’
Gyanesh Kumar will serve until January 26, 2029, overseeing crucial upcoming assembly elections in states such as Bihar, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
- Feb 18, 2025,
- Updated Feb 18, 2025 8:40 AM IST
The Centre has appointed Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), marking him as the first to be appointed under the amended law. Kumar will serve until January 26, 2029, overseeing crucial upcoming assembly elections in states such as Bihar, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
Kumar is a 1988-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer. He completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, and studied Business Finance at ICFAI, India, and Environmental Economics at HIID, Harvard University, US. In Kerala, he served as the assistant collector of Ernakulam, sub-collector of Adoor, managing director of the Kerala State Development Corporation for SC/ST, and municipal commissioner of the Corporation of Cochin, among other roles.
Kumar played a significant role in implementing decisions following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir during his tenure in the Union home ministry. He assumed charge as an election commissioner on March 15, 2024.
He has extensive experience working as the joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence, joint secretary and additional secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation. He retired on January 31, 2024.
Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch Haryana-cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been appointed as an election commissioner. Born on May 21, 1966, Joshi will serve in the poll panel until 2031. According to the law, a CEC or an EC retires at the age of 65 or can serve in the poll panel for six years.
The Congress party has criticised the timing of the appointment, arguing that it was rushed to avoid Supreme Court scrutiny. The party urged the government to defer the decision on the new CEC until the Supreme Court concludes its hearing on a petition challenging the selection panel's composition. The Congress' demand was raised by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during a selection panel meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal stated, "This goes against the spirit of our Constitution, and what has been reiterated by the Supreme Court in many cases -- for the electoral process to have sanctity, the CEC must be an impartial stakeholder."
The selection panel meeting included Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The amended law dealing with the appointment of election commissioners has removed the chief justice of India (CJI) from the selection panel. Venugopal said the government ought to have waited until the apex court's hearing in the matter on February 19 before selecting the officer.
Venugopal further commented, "Their decision to hastily hold the meeting today and appoint the new EC shows they are keen to circumvent the Supreme Court's scrutiny and get the appointment done before a clear order kicks in."
The Centre has appointed Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), marking him as the first to be appointed under the amended law. Kumar will serve until January 26, 2029, overseeing crucial upcoming assembly elections in states such as Bihar, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
Kumar is a 1988-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer. He completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, and studied Business Finance at ICFAI, India, and Environmental Economics at HIID, Harvard University, US. In Kerala, he served as the assistant collector of Ernakulam, sub-collector of Adoor, managing director of the Kerala State Development Corporation for SC/ST, and municipal commissioner of the Corporation of Cochin, among other roles.
Kumar played a significant role in implementing decisions following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir during his tenure in the Union home ministry. He assumed charge as an election commissioner on March 15, 2024.
He has extensive experience working as the joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence, joint secretary and additional secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation. He retired on January 31, 2024.
Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch Haryana-cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been appointed as an election commissioner. Born on May 21, 1966, Joshi will serve in the poll panel until 2031. According to the law, a CEC or an EC retires at the age of 65 or can serve in the poll panel for six years.
The Congress party has criticised the timing of the appointment, arguing that it was rushed to avoid Supreme Court scrutiny. The party urged the government to defer the decision on the new CEC until the Supreme Court concludes its hearing on a petition challenging the selection panel's composition. The Congress' demand was raised by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during a selection panel meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal stated, "This goes against the spirit of our Constitution, and what has been reiterated by the Supreme Court in many cases -- for the electoral process to have sanctity, the CEC must be an impartial stakeholder."
The selection panel meeting included Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. The amended law dealing with the appointment of election commissioners has removed the chief justice of India (CJI) from the selection panel. Venugopal said the government ought to have waited until the apex court's hearing in the matter on February 19 before selecting the officer.
Venugopal further commented, "Their decision to hastily hold the meeting today and appoint the new EC shows they are keen to circumvent the Supreme Court's scrutiny and get the appointment done before a clear order kicks in."