Wed Feb 19 05:22:34 UTC 2025: ## New Chief Election Commissioner Takes Office Amidst Legal Challenge
**New Delhi, Feb 19, 2025** – Gyanesh Kumar assumed office as India’s 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) today, the same day the Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to the law governing his appointment. His appointment, made by a panel including the Prime Minister, has drawn criticism, with the Congress party calling for a delay until the court case concludes. Mr. Kumar’s appointment marks the first under a new law passed after a Supreme Court ruling mandated a selection panel. This panel, however, was subsequently altered by the government, replacing the Chief Justice of India with a Union Minister, a move that critics say gives the government undue influence.
The opposition alleges bias in the appointment process, a concern echoed by outgoing CEC Rajiv Kumar in his farewell address. Kumar, whose tenure oversaw the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls, noted a pattern of “certain narratives” surfacing at critical junctures, suggesting the timing of legal proceedings could be improved to avoid influencing elections.
Mr. Kumar’s successor, Gyanesh Kumar, a former Kerala cadre IAS officer, will oversee crucial upcoming elections, including the Bihar Assembly polls later this year and those in Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal in 2026. He will also be responsible for the presidential and vice-presidential elections in 2027. His term as CEC will conclude in January 2029. The Supreme Court’s decision on the legality of his appointment is expected soon.
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