The Central government appointed Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on February 17, 2025, replacing Rajiv Kumar, who will retire on February 18, 2025. Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, is the senior-most among the three-member Election Commission panel.
Along with this, Vivek Joshi was appointed as an Election Commissioner. He previously served as Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner.
The selection was made by a three-member committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Rahul Gandhi (Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha) and Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) as members. This is the first CEC appointment under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioner Act, 2023, which became effective in December 2023.
Rajiv Kumar, who served as CEC from May 15, 2022, oversaw Lok Sabha elections 2024, Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections 2022, and elections in 31 States/UTs during his tenure, ensuring smooth electoral management with minimal repolling and violence.
