A selection committee, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has appointed Gyanesh Kumar as India's new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). He will replace Rajiv Kumar, who is set to retire on Tuesday upon turning 65.
Rajiv Kumar, who assumed the role of CEC in May 2022, played a crucial role in overseeing key elections, including the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and multiple state assembly elections. His tenure focused on strengthening electoral transparency and encouraging greater voter participation. With his retirement, Gyanesh Kumar will now take charge of the Election Commission of India (ECI), bringing in new leadership.
Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner of India with effect from 19.02.25#ECI #CEC pic.twitter.com/NhfVRxTI43
— Spokesperson ECI (@SpokespersonECI) February 17, 2025
Chief Election Commissioner Of India - Brief
The Chief Election Commissioner of India is the head of the Election Commission of India. The President of India appoints the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India who has a tenure of 6 years or up to 65 years, whichever is earlier. The CEC of India is usually a member of the Indian Civil Service and mostly from the Indian Administrative Service.
By the Election Commission (Condition Of Service Of Election Commissions And Transaction Of Business) Act, 1991, the salary of the chief election commissioner is the same as the salary of a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. Currently, the salary of CEC is ₹250,000 per month.
It is very difficult to remove the Chief Election Commissioner once appointed by the President of India, as two-thirds of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha members need to vote against CEC for disorderly conduct or improper actions.
List of all the Chief Election Commissioners of India
| Chief Election Commissioners of India | Tenure | ||
| S.No. | Name | From | To |
| 1 | Sukumar Sen | 21 March 1950 | 19 December 1958 |
| 2 | K. V. K. Sundaram | 20 December 1958 | 30 September 1967 |
| 3 | S. P. Sen Verma | 1 October 1967 | 30 September 1972 |
| 4 | Dr. Nagendra Singh | 1 October 1972 | 6 February 1973 |
| 5 | T. Swaminathan | 7 February 1973 | 17 June 1977 |
| 6 | S. L. Shakdhar | 18 June 1977 | 17 June 1982 |
| 7 | R. K. Trivedi | 18 June 1982 | 31 December 1985 |
| 8 | R. V. S. Peri Sastri | 1 January 1986 | 25 November 1990 |
| 9 | V. S. Ramadevi | 26 November 1990 | 11 December 1990 |
| 10 | T. N. Seshan | 12 December 1990 | 11 December 1996 |
| 11. | M. S. Gill | 12 December 1996 | 13 June 2001 |
| 12 | J. M. Lyngdoh | 14 June 2001 | 7 February 2004 |
| 13 | T. S. Krishnamurthy | 8 February 2004 | 15 May 2005 |
| 14 | B. B. Tandon | 16 May 2005 | 29 June 2006 |
| 15 | N. Gopalaswami | 30 June 2006 | 20 April 2009 |
| 16 | Navin Chawla | 21 April 2009 | 29 July 2010 |
| 17 | S. Y. Quraishi | 30 July 2010 | 10 June 2012 |
| 18 | V. S. Sampath | 11 June 2012 | 15 January 2015 |
| 19 | H. S. Brahma | 16 January 2015 | 18 April 2015 |
| 20 | Dr. Nasim Zaidi | 19 April 2015 | 5 July 2017 |
| 21 | Achal Kumar Jyoti | 6 July 2017 | 22 January 2018 |
| 22 | Om Prakash Rawat | 23 January 2018 | 1 December 2018 |
| 23 | Sunil Arora | 2 December 2018 | 12 April 2021 |
| 24 | Sushil Chandra | 13 April 2021 | 14 May 2022 |
| 25 | Rajiv Kumar | 15 May 2022 | 18 February 2025 |
| 26 | Shri Gyanesh Kumar | 19 February 2025 | 26 January 2029 |
Election Commissioner of India - Brief
Until October 1989, the commission was a single-member body, but later two additional Election Commissioners were added through an act of parliament. Thus, the Election Commission currently consists of a Chief Election Commissioner and two other Election Commissioners. The decisions of the commission are taken by a majority vote.
History
Originally in 1950, the commission had only a Chief Election Commissioner. Two additional Commissioners were appointed to the commission for the first time on 16 October 1989 but they hardly settled down with their constitutional work, so the President on January 1, 1990, issued a notification abolishing the post of ECs. The government again made the Election Commission a 3-member body on October 1, 1993. The Election Commissioner Amendment Act, 1989 made the Commission a multi-member body. The concept of a 3-member Commission has been in operation since then, with the decisions being made by a majority vote. The official website was introduced on 28 February 1998.
List of all the Election Commissioners of India
| Election Commissioners of India | Tenure | ||
| S.No. | Name | From | To |
| 1 | V.S. Seigell | 16 October 1989 | 2 January 1990 |
| 2 | S.S. Dhanoa | 16 October 1989 | 2 January 1990 |
| 3 | G.V.G. Krishnamurty | 1 October 1993 | 30 September 1999 |
| 4 | Ashok Lavasa | 23 October 2018 | 31 August 2020 |
| 5 | Anup Chandra Pandey | 9 June 2021 | 14 February 2024 |
| 6 | Arun Goel | 21 November 2022 | 9 March 2024 |
Who is Gyanesh Kumar?
Source: Election Commission of India
Gyanesh Kumar is a 1988 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Kerala cadre. He holds a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur and has further studied Business Finance at ICFAI, India, and Environmental Economics at Harvard University, USA.
Throughout his career, he has held several key positions in the Government of Kerala, including Assistant Collector of Ernakulam, Sub Collector of Adoor, and District Collector of Ernakulam. He has also served as the MD of Kerala State Development Corporation for SC/ST, Kerala State Cooperative Bank, and Trivandrum Airport Development Society. Additionally, he has been the Municipal Commissioner of Cochin, Director of Industries and Commerce, Secretary of the Goshree Islands Development Authority, and Project Director of the Kerala State Transport Project. He also served as the Resident Commissioner of Kerala House in New Delhi.
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