Tue Feb 18 01:23:28 UTC 2025: ## Gyanesh Kumar Appointed New Chief Election Commissioner of India
**New Delhi, February 18, 2025** – Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as India’s next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the Law Ministry announced on Monday. His appointment marks a historic first, as he is the inaugural CEC selected under a newly enacted law governing the appointment of Election Commission members. Mr. Kumar’s term will extend until January 26, 2029, just days before the anticipated announcement of the next Lok Sabha election schedule.
The appointment followed a meeting of a three-member committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr. Kumar, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala cadre, will assume office on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. This coincides with a Supreme Court hearing challenging the constitutionality of the new appointment law.
A 1988-batch IAS officer, Mr. Kumar boasts a distinguished career in both state and central government service. He previously served as Union Cooperation Secretary, retiring on January 31, 2024, before his appointment as an Election Commissioner on March 14, 2024. His experience includes key roles in the Union Home Ministry, where he contributed significantly to the implementation of decisions following the abrogation of Article 370.
Mr. Kumar holds a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur and furthered his education with degrees in Business Finance and Environmental Economics. His career encompassed diverse roles within the Kerala government and significant positions in various Indian ministries, including Defence, Home Affairs, and Parliamentary Affairs.
As CEC, Mr. Kumar will oversee crucial state assembly elections in Bihar later this year and in Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal in 2026.
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