During his tenure as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar will be responsible for the Bihar assembly elections later this year and the Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal assembly elections in 2026. His term will last till January 26, 2029. A few days after this, the Election Commission can announce the schedule for the next Lok Sabha elections.
Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner on Monday. Gyanesh Kumar is the first Chief Election Commissioner to be appointed under the new law for the appointment of members of the Election Commission. His term will last till January 26, 2029. A few days after this, the Election Commission can announce the schedule for the next Lok Sabha elections.
Vivek Joshi, a 1989 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Haryana cadre, has been appointed as the Election Commissioner. Vivek Joshi (58) was born on 21 May 1966 and will serve in the Election Commission till 2031. According to the law, the Chief Election Commissioner or Election Commissioner retires at the age of 65 or can remain in the Commission for six years.
Earlier, Sushil Chandra, serving as the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), was appointed as the Election Commissioner. Chandra resigned from the CBDT before joining the Commission. Joshi, a former Chief Secretary of Haryana, has been on central deputation since January 2019.
During his tenure as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar will be responsible for the Bihar Assembly elections later this year and the Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal Assembly elections in 2026.
During his tenure in the Union Home Ministry, he played a key role in implementing the decision after the abrogation of certain provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir and took over as Election Commissioner on March 15, 2024. He is a 1988 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer.
After completing B.Tech in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, he studied Business Finance at ICFAI and Environmental Economics at HIID, Harvard University, USA. He has also served in the Government of Kerala as Assistant District Magistrate of Ernakulam, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Adoor, Managing Director of Kerala State Development Corporation for SC/ST, Municipal Commissioner of Cochin Corporation, among others.
As Secretary to the Government of Kerala, Gyanesh Kumar handled diverse portfolios such as Finance Resources, Fast-Track Projects, and the Public Works Department. In the Government of India, he also has experience working as a Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, and Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation.
