March 16, 2025
Gyanesh Kumar, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1988 batch of the Kerala cadre, has been appointed as the new chief election commissioner of India. He succeeded Rajiv Kumar in the post and will serve in this position till January 2029. Kumar, who is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, is India’s 26th chief election commissioner. Kumar took charge as an election commissioner in March 2024 and has previously served in various capacities in the Kerala state and central government. At the state level, he has been the municipal commissioner of Cochin Corporation and district collector of Ernakulam. His experience in the central government includes serving as a secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence.
Image Source: eci.gov.in
