Tue Feb 18 08:31:52 UTC 2025: ## Uttar Pradesh CM Attacks Samajwadi Party, Gyanesh Kumar Appointed New CEC
**Lucknow, India** – Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP), accusing them of intending to “turn children into Maulvis” (Islamic religious scholars). This statement comes amidst several other significant news developments across India.
Elsewhere, the Supreme Court granted relief to Ranvir Illahabadiya, though specifics of the case were not detailed in the provided text. In Patna, Bihar, a car unexpectedly entered Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s motorcade, causing a temporary slowdown.
In a major political appointment, Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre, has been appointed India’s new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The selection committee, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and including Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, finalized the appointment following a meeting on February 17th. Kumar’s appointment follows the impending retirement of Rajeev Kumar on February 18th. His career includes key roles in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Ministry of Cooperation, and overseeing the construction of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple. He also played a significant role during the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Congress party expressed concerns about the timing of the appointment, questioning the speed of the process and suggesting the meeting should have been delayed pending a Supreme Court decision on a related matter.
First Piper 