Gyanesh Kumar Appointed India’s Chief Election Commissioner Amid Supreme Court Challenge To Selection Process

Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), nearly a year after joining the Election Commission.

His tenure, set to last until 26 January 2029, will see him preside over crucial elections, including 20 state assembly elections, and the Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections in 2027 and preparations for the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, Indian Express reported.

His appointment was finalised after a high-level selection panel, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met to decide on a successor for Rajiv Kumar, who is set to retire today.

However, the decision has not been without controversy. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, opposed the appointment, urging the government to “defer the appointment until the Supreme Court decides on the petitions” challenging the new selection process.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the matter tomorrow.

Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, was appointed as Election Commissioner on 14 March 2024, just two months after retiring from civil service.

He assumed office the following day, and within 24 hours, the Election Commission announced the Lok Sabha election schedule.

Over the past 11 months, he has been actively involved in the Commission’s work, overseeing the Lok Sabha elections, the first-ever assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, and state elections in Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Delhi.

Before his role in the Election Commission, Kumar held several key positions in government.

He retired as Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation in 2024 and previously served as Parliamentary Affairs Secretary, Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence.

During his tenure in the MHA from 2018 to 2021, he played a critical role in drafting the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, 2019, which led to the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.

His was also involved in the setting up of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

As Cooperation Secretary, he was responsible for the passage of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) (Amendment) Act, 2023, aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the sector.

Kumar’s appointment comes at a politically sensitive time, with opposition parties questioning the credibility of the new selection process. With the Supreme Court set to rule on the matter, his tenure as CEC may begin under legal and political scrutiny.