Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, replacing Rajiv Kumar, who retired on February 18, 2025. Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, will now lead the three-member Election Commission panel.
Key Appointments in the Election Commission
- Gyanesh Kumar – Appointed as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
- Vivek Joshi – Newly appointed Election Commissioner
- Sukhbir Singh Sandhu – Current Election Commissioner
First CEC Appointment Under the New Law
This is the first appointment under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which came into force in December 2023.
Selection Process
A three-member selection committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi finalized Gyanesh Kumar’s appointment. The committee included:
- PM Narendra Modi
- Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah (nominated by the PM)
Recent Changes in the Election Commission
- S.S. Sandhu & Gyanesh Kumar were appointed as Election Commissioners in March 2024 after the resignation of Arun Goel and retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey.
- Rajiv Kumar, the outgoing CEC, joined the Election Commission of India (ECI) as an Election Commissioner in 2020 and became CEC on May 15, 2022.
