Gyanesh Kumar assumes charge as chief election commissioner

Gyanesh Kumar, in his first message as CEC, said that the first step for nation building is "voting" and urged every eligible citizen to become an elector.

Gyanesh Kumar assumed charge as the 26th chief election commissioner (CEC) on Wednesday, giving a message to the citizens that the "first step for nation building is voting".

Gyanesh Kumar's elevation as the Chief Election Commissioner was announced on Monday. (X/@ECISVEEP)

He succeeded Rajiv Kumar at the top post of the Election Commission of India after the latter demitted the office on Tuesday.

The Union law ministry had on Monday announced the appointment of Gyanesh as the new chief election commissioner. He became the first CEC to be appointed under the new law on appointment of election commissioners.

After assuming charge, in his first message as the CEC, Gyanesh Kumar said that the first step for nation building is "voting", urging every citizen of the age 18 and above to become an elector and cast their vote. He further affirmed that the Election Commission, in accordance with the Constitution of India, Electoral Laws, Rules and Instructions issued therein, "will always be with the voters".

Along with Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu is the election commissioner and so is Vivek Joshi, who has recently been appointed to the post.

Kumar, a 1988-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of the Kerala Cadre, has a rich and varied experience in both central and state governments. Previously, he was serving as the election commissioner alongside Sandhu.

He has spent five years in the home ministry, first joining as a joint secretary in May 2016 up until September 2018. Following this, he took charge as an additional secretary from September 2018 to April 2021.

Gyanesh Kumar also played a key role as the additional secretary after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories of Ladakh and J&K.

He was given the responsibility of formulating the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, one of the ost secretive bills, by the Narendra Modi-led central government.

Additionally, Gyanesh Kumar was also involved in the setting up of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.

He is a civil engineer from IIT Kanpur and has studied Business Finance from ICFAI, India and Environmental Economics from the US' Harvard University.