New Delhi:

Gyanesh Kumar, who was named as an Election Commissioner last year, has been appointed the next Chief Election Commissioner of India, replacing the outgoing Rajiv Kumar. Mr Kumar will oversee the conduct of the Bihar Assembly election later this year and the polls in Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu next year. He took charge as the new poll chief this morning.

Mr Kumar’s appointment came in a late-night development on Monday, within hours after a meeting of a three-member panel consisting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi. However, it has sparked a row as Mr Gandhi did not approve of the appointment.

Row on Gyanesh Kumar’s appointment explained

The appointment of Mr Kumar as the poll chief was done based on the Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners (ECs) under the 2023 law. According to these rules, the Chief Election Commissioners and Election Commissioners will be appointed by the President on the recommendation of a selection committee consisting of PM Modi as the Chairperson, a cabinet minister nominated by the PM – Amit Shah, and the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha.

However, the law was challenged in the Supreme Court as the three-member panel allowed the Centre a dominant role.

The top court was set to take up a hearing on a “priority basis” on February 19.

Due to this, Mr Gandhi, who was present in the meeting, had opposed Mr Kumar’s appointment and asked the government to postpone it. However, the Centre planned to press on regardless, saying that halting the process would mean leaving the key post vacant.

After Mr Kumar’s appointment, the Congress leader gave a dissent note saying the meeting was meaningless as the new law has been challenged in the Supreme Court.

“During the meeting of the committee to select the next (Chief) Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM that stated: ‘The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission… free from executive interference… is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner. By violating the Supreme Court order and removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee, the Modi government has exacerbated the concerns of hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process,” Mr Gandhi wrote in a post on X.

He added, “As the LoP, it is my duty to uphold the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the founding leaders of our nation and hold the government to account. It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC, when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours.”

Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale also took a dig at the Centre, calling Mr Shah “India’s new Chief Election Commissioner”.

“Congratulations to Sh Amit Shah on becoming India’s new Chief Election Commissioner. The nation is confident that under your able leadership, the goal of reducing ECI to a wing of BJP will be successfully achieved,” he said, adding that the BJP would not succeed in West Bengal despite the appointment.

Who is Gyanesh Kumar

Mr Kumar is a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre. He is the senior of the two commissioners on the three-member panel that was led by Rajiv Kumar till he demitted office. The other commissioner on the panel is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, an officer from the Uttarakhand cadre.

The new Chief Election Commissioner was a part of the Union Home Ministry earlier and had helped draft the bill that scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 and split the former state into two union territories.

He has also served as the Joint Secretary (Kashmir Division) and the Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry.

New Delhi:

Gyanesh Kumar assumed charge Wednesday morning as the new Chief Election Commissioner.

Mr Kumar replaces Rajiv Kumar in the role and will oversee the conduct of nearly two-dozen elections, state and presidential, over the course of his four-year term. The new CEC is an ex-IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, and earlier served in the Home Ministry, under current Home Minister Amit Shah. Among his key responsibilities were the drafting of a bill that scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

In his first remarks after taking charge, Mr Kumar said, “The first step for nation-building is voting. Therefore, every citizen of India who has completed 18 years of age should become an elector and should always vote. The Election Commission was, is, and will always be with the voters.”

Mr Kumar’s appointment – the notification was issued late last night – was made amid controversy after Rahul Gandhi and the Congress objected to his nomination.

Mr Gandhi is part of a three-member panel that was tasked with picking the new CEC, but the Congress leader submitted a dissent note instead, objecting to Gyanesh Kumar’s nomination despite a challenge – to the constitution of the panel – that is pending in the Supreme Court.

READ | Gyanesh Kumar Appointed New Chief Election Commissioner

The top court will hear those arguments later today.

In essence, the contention is the committee – which at present consists of the Prime Minister, a member of the union cabinet (to be nominated by the PM), and the Leader of the Opposition – is biased towards the ruling party, and impinges on the Election Commission’s neutrality.

NDTV Explains | Why Gyanesh Kumar’s Pick As Poll Chief Sparked Row

On Tuesday Mr Gandhi posted a sharp attack on X, in which he slammed the centre’s “midnight decision” to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as the next CEC, calling his nomination a ‘violation of the Supreme Court order (by) removing the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee”.

READ | “Midnight Decision Disrespectful”: Rahul Gandhi Note On Poll Chief Selection

“During the meeting of the committee to select the next (Chief) Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM that stated: ‘The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission… free from executive interference… is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner,” Mr Gandhi had said.

During the meeting of the committee to select the next Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM, that stated: The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission free from executive interference is the process of choosing the Election… pic.twitter.com/JeL9WSfq3X

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 18, 2025

“By violating the Supreme Court order and removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee, the Modi government has exacerbated the concerns of hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process,” Mr Gandhi said on X.

READ | All About Gyanesh Kumar, New Chief Election Commissioner

The reference was to an earlier order by the Supreme Court that said the PM, the LoP and the Chief Justice of India should be on the selection committee. To circumvent that ruling the central government later rushed through a bill to replace the Chief Justice.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission has announced that Dr Vivek Joshi took office this morning as the new third member of the panel. Dr Joshi is a 1989-batch IAS officer from the Haryana cadre.

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New Delhi:

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has slammed the centre’s ‘midnight decision’ to appoint Gyanesh Kumar as the next Chief Election Commissioner, calling his nomination a ‘violation of the Supreme Court order (by) removing the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee”.

Mr Gandhi, part of that three-member panel, as are Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, had last night objected to picking a new CEC at this time, pointing out a challenge to the law governing his/her selection is to be heard by the Supreme Court this week.

The Congress leader had shared a dissent note, which he posted on X today.

However, sources later told NDTV the centre planned to press on regardless, since halting the process would mean leaving the key post vacant. Hours later Mr Kumar was named as the new CEC, replacing Rajiv Kumar. And, this morning Mr Gandhi went on the warpath.

“During the meeting of the committee to select the next (Chief) Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM that stated: ‘The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission… free from executive interference… is the process of choosing the Election Commissioner and Chief Election Commissioner.”

During the meeting of the committee to select the next Election Commissioner, I presented a dissent note to the PM and HM, that stated: The most fundamental aspect of an independent Election Commission free from executive interference is the process of choosing the Election… pic.twitter.com/JeL9WSfq3X

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 18, 2025

“By violating the Supreme Court order and removing the Chief Justice of India from the committee, the Modi government has exacerbated the concerns of hundreds of millions of voters over the integrity of our electoral process,” Mr Gandhi said on X.

“As the LoP (Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha), it is my duty to uphold the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the founding leaders of our nation and hold the government to account.”

READ | “Can’t Operate In Ego”: Congress On Meet To Select New Poll Body Chief

“It is both disrespectful and discourteous for the PM and HM to have made a midnight decision to select the new CEC, when the very composition of the committee and the process is being challenged in the Supreme Court and is due to be heard in less than forty-eight hours.”

The row over the appointment of the next CEC stems from a controversial change in the law, which now says he/she will be selected by a panel consisting of the PM, a cabinet minister (in this case, the HM) and the Leader of the Opposition. Critics argue this gives the centre an edge in selecting the individual who will oversee conduct of nearly two dozen state elections over the next four years.

READ | Gyanesh Kumar Appointed New Chief Election Commissioner

This edge, critics, including the opposition parties, have argued and will argue before the Supreme Court this week, robs the CEC selection panel of even the appearance of neutrality.

This contentious new law was pushed through by the government in 2023 after the Supreme Court ruled the selection committee should consist of the PM, the LoP, and the Chief Justice.

The top court is expected to hear this case on February 22.

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New Delhi:

Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the senior of the two election commissioners after Chief Election Commission Rajiv Kumar, will succeed him, the government announced late this evening. As the next Chief Election Commissioner, he would be in charge of elections in five states – Opposition-ruled Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and NDA-ruled Bihar and Assam — in the immediate future. The election in Bihar is due later this year – the rest take place in 2026.

Mr Kumar, who will stay in the post January 26, 2029 — will altogether steer the Commission through 20 Assembly elections, elections for President and Vice-President in 2027, and preparations for the 2029 Lok Sabha election.

The announcement came shortly after a meeting of the Election Committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, where the Congress leader had given a note of dissent.   

Mr Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from Kerala cadre, was part of the Union Home Ministry and helped draft the bill that scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. He is known to be close to Mr Shah.

The Congress objected to the selection as the law on appointment of the Chief Election Commission has been challenged in the Supreme Court, which will hear the matter on Saturday. The party has alleged that the government wants control of Election Commission and is not concerned about its credibility.

The government, sources said, did not want to postpone the selection process as it would leave a vacancy in the poll commission. The court had not stayed the appointment and legal opinion was sought before making the move, sources said.

Before parliament formed a law on the matter in 2023, the Chief Election Commissioner was appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Prime Minister. Traditionally, the seniormost of the two remaining Election commissioners gets the job.

Under the Chief Election Commissioner And Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service And Term of Office) Act, 2023, a committee headed by the law minister has to shortlist five candidates and the selection team – the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and a cabinet minister — has to make the final selection.

But the parliamentary law had set aside the Supreme Court’s guideline that made the Chief Justice of India a part of the selection committee. The replacement of the CJI with a cabinet minister has been challenged in court, with petitioners alleging that it interfered with the balance of power in the committee and affected its neutrality. 

New Delhi:

Gyanesh Kumar – appointed as an Election Commissioner in March last year – is likely to become the next Chief Election Commissioner of India, replacing the outgoing Rajiv Kumar sources told NDTV Monday evening. If his appointment is confirmed, Mr Kumar will oversee conduct of the Bihar Assembly election later this year and the polls in Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu next year.

Mr Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from Kerala cadre, is the senior of the two commissioners on the three-member panel that was led by Rajiv Kumar till he demitted office this morning. The other commissioner on the panel is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, an officer from the Uttarakhand cadre.

Mr Kumar’s nomination, though, has not yet been ratified.

The opposition Congress – represented on the selection panel by Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha – has objected to what it has said is a rush to name the new CEC.

READ | “Can’t Operate In Ego”: Congress On New Poll Body Chief Selection

The party has pointed out the Supreme Court will this week hear a challenge to the 2023 law governing selection of the CEC, which critics say gives the ruling BJP control of the process; under that law a three-member panel – the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and the LoP will decide.

Who Is Gyanesh Kumar?

Mr Kumar, 61, was earlier part of the Union Home Ministry.

Among his key responsibilities was helping to the draft the bill that scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 and split the former state into two union territories.

He was then Joint Secretary (Kashmir Division) in the Home Ministry.

A year later, as Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry, Mr Kumar also handled documents relating to the Supreme Court case about the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.

Sources said Mr Kumar is known to be close to Home Minister Amit Shah; he retired from the civil service in January last year as Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation, which is also led by Mr Shah.

Prior to that he also served as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. And, in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, he was posted to the Defence Ministry.

Mr Kumar holds a B.Tech degree in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Engineering in Kanpur, and has also studied Business Finance from the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India. Additionally, he has also studied Environmental Economics from Harvard University.

Rajiv Kumar Retires

Exiting CEC Rajiv Kumar stepped down this morning.

In his farewell speech Mr Kumar touched on a number of issues, including remote voting mechanisms for NRIs and migrant workers, biometric authentication to cast votes, and non-disclosure of votes (to guard against post-poll violence) received by each candidate at any given polling station.

READ | Remote Voting For NRIs, AI, Biometrics: Outgoing Chief’s Wishlist

Mr Kumar also underlined the need for “financial transparency” in managing poll expenses and campaign promises and action against “fake narratives” spread via social media. He also spoke about Artificial Intelligence, or AI, which he declared could “revolutionise (the) conduct of elections”.

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New Delhi:

Former IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were on Thursday appointed as election commissioners, ahead of the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls.

The law ministry issued a notification announcing the appointments.

A selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met earlier in the day to recommend their names.

The vacancies had come up in the Election Commission (EC) after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the sudden resignation of Arun Goel on March 8.

The poll panel is headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

Mr Kumar and Mr Sandhu, both 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, belonged to the Kerala and Uttarakhand cadres, respectively, and are likely to assume office on Friday.

The 2024 general elections for the Lok Sabha, along with four state assemblies, are expected in April-May amid indications that the EC may announce these polls as early as this Friday.

Earlier in the day, at the selection panel meeting chaired by the prime minister, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury gave a dissent note, raising questions over the procedure adopted to choose the election commissioners.

The selection committee has one Union minister — Home Minister Amit Shah — as nominated by the government and the leader of the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha as members.

During his tenure in the home ministry, Mr Kumar oversaw the abrogation of the Constitution’s Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2014, as the resident commissioner of Kerala in Delhi, he was deputed by the state government to evacuate 46 nurses stuck in Erbil in war-torn Iraq. The operation was successful with the evacuation of 183 Indians, 70 from Kerala, from Iraq. Mr Kumar, an IIT-Kanpur graduate, is a postgraduate in economics from Harvard University.

Mr Sandhu, a former chief secretary of Uttarakhand, is learnt to have overseen the ideation for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in the state. He is an MBBS from the Amritsar Medical College and also has a master’s degree in history.

He was also closely involved in the reconstruction efforts of the Kedarnath temple premises.

Mr Sandhu retired as the chief secretary of Uttarakhand in January, after a six-month extension in service. He was appointed to the post in 2021, after Pushkar Singh Dhami was appointed the chief minister of the state ahead of the 2022 assembly elections.

Last month, Mr Sandhu was appointed as secretary, Lokpal, with a tenure of one year.

He has served as the chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and additional secretary in the higher education of the central government. Mr Sandhu did his MBBS from the Government Medical College, Amritsar, and also has a master’s degree in history from the Amritsar-based Guru Nanak Dev University.

He has published papers on ‘Urban Reforms’ and ‘Municipal Management and Capacity Building’. He was conferred the President’s Medal in recognition of his services as commissioner, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, Punjab.
 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:
Former bureaucrat Sukhbir Singh Sandhu was on Thursday appointed as one of the new Election Commissioners, with the other being Gyanesh Kumar, by a panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

Here are 5 facts about Sukhbir Singh Sandhu: