New Delhi, Feb 18: President Droupadi Murmu appointed Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India.
Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification in this regard stating that President Droupadi Murmu is pleased to appoint Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioner, as Chief Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India, with effect from February 19, 2025.
The appointment was made under the powers granted by section 4 of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Act, 2023.
In another notification, the Ministry of Law and Justice announced the appointment of Dr. Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch IAS officer from the Haryana cadre, as Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India, effective from the date he assumes charge of his office.
It is worth mentioning that Gyanesh Kumar is a 1988-batch Kerala-cadre officer and he retired as the Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation in January last year.
He served as Secretary in the Amit Shah-led ministry from May 2022 and spent five years in the Ministry of Home Affairs, initially serving as Joint Secretary from May 2016 to September 2018, followed by Additional Secretary from September 2018 to April 2021.
Kumar will succeed Rajiv Kumar, who is set to demit office as Chief Election Commissioner on February 18.
Rajiv Kumar joined the Election Commission of India as Election Commissioner on September 1, 2020, and took charge as the 25th Chief Election Commissioner of India on May 15, 2022.
