GUWAHATI: Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the government announced on Monday, 17 February. He is the first CEC to be appointed under the new law governing the selection of Election Commission members. His tenure will extend until 26 January 2029, just before the Election Commission is expected to announce the next Lok Sabha election schedule.
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As Chief Election Commissioner, he will oversee elections in five states—West Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, which are ruled by the Opposition, and Bihar and Assam, which are governed by the NDA. Bihar's election is scheduled for later this year, while the others will go to polls in 2026. During his tenure, Kumar will also be responsible for conducting 20 Assembly elections, the 2027 Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections, and preparations for the 2029 Lok Sabha election.
His appointment followed a meeting of a three-member committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. The meeting included Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, with the Congress leader submitting a note of dissent. Kumar, who was the senior-most Election Commissioner after Rajiv Kumar, will take office on Wednesday, 19 February, the same day the Supreme Court is set to hear a challenge to the law under which he was selected.
Gyanesh Kumar is a former 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala cadre, Kumar retired as Union Cooperation Secretary on 31 January 2024 before being appointed Election Commissioner on 14 March 2024. He previously served in the Union Home Ministry, where he was involved in drafting the bill that abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and played a key role in implementing related decisions.