Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar is facing intense public scrutiny and internal friction at the Election Commission (EC), nineteen months into his tenure.
Key Controversies and Internal Dissension:
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Internal Objections on Record: An Indian Express investigation revealed that fellow election commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi formally objected on record at least 14 times over the last 10 months. They claimed key decisions—including alterations to voter registration Form 6 and centralizing the electoral roll database during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)—were issued without their knowledge.
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EC’s Stance: The Election Commission has defended its operations, stating that differing viewpoints are a routine part of deliberations and that all final decisions regarding the SIR were ultimately unanimous. Neither Sandhu nor Joshi has publicly commented on the leaked records.
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Political Fallout: Opposition parties have criticized the poll panel over alleged voter omissions during the SIR, accusing the commission of bias. This follows earlier friction when Kumar demanded that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi either apologize or substantiate his “vote chori” allegations with a sworn affidavit.
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Appointment Controversy: Kumar’s appointment as CEC in February 2025 drew sharp opposition backlash. He was the first chief election commissioner selected under the 2023 law that removed the Chief Justice of India from the selection committee, replacing them with a Union Cabinet minister and giving the government a two-to-one majority on the panel. The Supreme Court recently delivered a split verdict on whether pleas challenging this law should be referred to a larger bench.
Career Background and Academic Profile:
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Bureaucratic Footprint: A 1988-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, Kumar previously served as a secretary in the cooperation and parliamentary affairs ministries, and held key assignments in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
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High-Profile Assignments: During his time in the Home Ministry, he played a central administrative role in executing the abrogation of Article 370 and establishing the Ram Janmabhoomi trust following the Supreme Court’s verdict.
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Education: According to the EC website, Kumar studied civil engineering at IIT Kanpur, business finance at ICFAI, and environmental economics at Harvard University.
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Tenure Timeline: Kumar took office as an election commissioner in March 2024 and assumed the role of CEC on February 19, 2025. His current term is scheduled to run until January 26, 2029.
