Gyanesh Kumar will succeed Rajiv Kumar as Chief Election Commissioner. He will steer the Commission through 20 Assembly elections, elections for President and Vice-President in 2027, and preparations for the 2029 Lok Sabha election. He is a 1988-batch IAS officer from Kerala cadre and helped draft the bill that scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. The Congress objected to the selection as the law on appointment of the Chief Election Commission has been challenged in the Supreme Court. The government, sources said, did not want to postpone the selection process as it would leave a vacancy in the poll commission. The election in Bihar is due later this year – the rest take place in 2026. The Supreme Court had not stayed the appointment and legal opinion was sought before making the move. The party has alleged that the government wants control of the Election Commission and is not concerned about its credibility. The selection team – the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and a cabinet minister — has to make the final selection.
