Rajiv Kumar takes charge as chief election commissioner

Former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar today, May 15, took charge as the 25th chief election commissioner. He succeeds Sushil Chandra who retired on Saturday evening.

 Rajiv Kumar joined the Election Commission of India (ECI) in September 2020 following the stepping down of election commissioner Ashok Lavasa. He is a 1984-batch Indian Administrative Service officer. 

Now being appointed as the chief election commissioner, he is slated to supervise several national as well as assembly elections. The major elections he is going to oversee in his tenure include assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka, Telangana, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

The tenure of the chief election commissioner lasts for six years or until they turn 65, whichever is earlier.

Earlier on Thursday, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that Sushil Chandra would be replaced by Rajiv Kumar for the pristine post. 

“In pursuance of clause (2) of Article 324 of the Constitution, the President is pleased to appoint Shri Rajiv Kumar as the Chief Election Commissioner with effect from the 15th May 2022. My best wishes to Shri Rajiv Kumar,” Rijiju tweeted.