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Gyanesh Kumar

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Gyanesh Kumar
Chief Election Commissioner of India
Incumbent
Assumed office
19 February 2025
Appointed byDroupadi Murmu
Preceded byRajiv Kumar
Election Commissioner of India
In office
14 March 2024 – 18 February 2025
Chief Election CommissionerRajiv Kumar
Preceded byAnup Chandra Pandey
Succeeded byVivek Joshi
Cooperation Secretary of India
In office
3 May 2022 – 31 January 2024
MinisterAmit Shah
Preceded byDevendra Kumar Singh
Succeeded byAshish Kumar Bhutani
Parliamentary Affairs Secretary of India
In office
1 May 2021 – 2 May 2022
MinisterPrahlad Joshi
Preceded byR. S. Shukla
Succeeded byGudey Srinivas
Personal details
Born (1964-01-27) 27 January 1964 (age 62)
Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
EducationIIT Kanpur (BTech)
Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India
Harvard University

Gyanesh Kumar (born 27 January 1964) is a former IAS officer who currently serves as the Chief Election Commissioner of India. He came under scrutiny during the 2025 Indian electoral controversy and the 2026 Indian electoral controversy, where the Election Commission of India (ECI) was accused of collusion with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and of having engaged in electoral fraud.

Early life and education

Gyanesh Kumar was born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. He completed his BTech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur. Following his graduation, Kumar pursued Business Finance at the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India, before studying Environmental Economics at Harvard University.[1][2]

Early career

Kumar is a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1988 Kerala cadre. He started his career as an Assistant Collector (U/T) in Ernakulam and later served as Sub-Collector of Adoor.[3][4] He also served as the Secretary, Public Works Department of the Kerala Government.[5] He served as Joint Secretary in the Department of Defence production at the Ministry of Defence from 2007 to 2012.[6] He then served as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Co-operation.[7]

Kumar was involved in the drafting of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, which revoked the special autonomous status granted to Jammu and Kashmir in 1947.[8] In January 2020, Kumar was assigned to the Ministry of Home Affairs, wherein he was involved in the establishment of the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the organisation overseeing the construction and management of the Ram Mandir at the site of the demolished Babri Masjid.[9] Following his retirement, Kumar was appointed as the Election Commisionser in March 2024 along with Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.[9]

Kerala State Transport Project controversy

In November 2006, while Kumar was serving as secretary of the Kerala Public Works Department (PWD), Malaysian project official Lee Been Seen, who headed the Kerala operations of PATI-BEL, a joint venture involved in the World Bank-assisted Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), died by suicide in Kuala Lumpur after returning from Kerala.[10][11][12]

The Hindustan Times stated that Lee left suicide notes describing alleged harassment by government officials and delays in payments to his firm, and reported that Kumar was among several officials named in the notes.[10]

Another report by IANS stated that Lee's notes reportedly blamed the state government for delays in disbursing payments.[11] Reports at the time also described disputes over delayed payments, land acquisition and the stalled progress of the road project.[11][5]

Following the controversy, the Kerala government ordered a Vigilance inquiry into the KSTP contracts and related dealings.[5][11] A UNI report published on 25 November 2006 stated that a state cabinet subcommittee comprising the Public Works, Revenue, Finance and Law ministers had examined the project and that the Vigilance investigation was ordered after the committee identified alleged irregularities requiring investigation.[5]

The Hindustan Times subsequently reported that the government had shifted Kumar from the post of PWD secretary and asked the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate alleged financial irregularities connected with the project.[10] The New Indian Express, revisiting the episode in September 2026, likewise reported that Kumar was transferred out of the PWD before the end of 2006 and that a Vigilance investigation followed Lee's death.[12]

Kumar's service in senior positions including the Kerala PWD is also recorded in his official profile published by the Election Commission of India.[13] The allegations did not result in a reported conclusive finding of wrongdoing against Kumar.

In its September 2026 follow-up, The New Indian Express reported that the Vigilance investigation did not reach a conclusion, citing jurisdictional difficulties and a lack of sustained interest in pursuing the inquiry, according to officials interviewed by the newspaper.[12]

Former Kerala finance minister T. M. Thomas Isaac also revived the episode in 2026 and alleged that bribery and demands for money had been discussed in connection with the case; however, Isaac acknowledged to the newspaper that he had not personally read Lee's suicide note.[12] Accordingly, allegations concerning bribery or personal responsibility for Lee's death remain allegations rather than established investigative or judicial findings.[12][10]

Many sources establish that Kumar was reportedly named in the notes, that the controversy led to his transfer from the PWD and to a state Vigilance inquiry, but the cited sources do not report a conviction or final finding holding him responsible for Lee's death.[10][5][12]
In October 2026, the Kerala government ordered a Vigilance inquiry into allegations concerning a 2006 case involving Kumar, who was then PWD Secretary.[14][15][16]

Chief Election Commissioner of India

On 19 February 2025, Gyanesh Kumar was appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner of India.[17] He is the first to be appointed under the Chief Election Commissioner Act 2023.[18][19] He has previously served as an election commissioner and as a Cooperation Secretary.[20]

2025 Indian electoral controversy

In August 2025, Kumar became a focal point of the 2025 Indian electoral controversy, wherein Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress (often simply known as "the Congress"), alleged widespread electoral fraud in the 2024 Indian general election and the collusion of the ECI with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leading to protests.[21] Gandhi stated that votes had been "stolen" in Karnataka’s Mahadevapura Assembly constituency through five separate ways, those being 11,965 duplicate voters, 40,009 voters with fake and invalid addresses, 10,452 bulk voters or single address voters, 4,132 voters with invalid photos, and 33,692 voters misusing Form 6, which is used for the registration of new voters.[22] Kumar was widely criticised by opposition parties and leaders, of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) coalition of failing to adequately respond to the allegations and of mimicking BJP rhetoric. In reaction, Kumar criticised the opposition of "spreading misinformation".[23]

During a parliamentary session on 18 August 2025, the INDIA bloc publicly acknowledged that it was considering a motion of impeachment against Kumar.[23]

2026 Indian electoral controversy

An investigative report published by The Indian Express on September 23 has reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had formally raised objections at least 14 times over a 10-month period to decisions and orders concerning electoral rolls. The report said the objections covered voter registration, deletion and restoration of names, changes to Form 6 and the handling of electoral-roll data.

The controversy has become a political flashpoint, with Congress and other opposition parties demanding action against Gyanesh Kumar, while the central issue remains whether the reported internal objections amounted to substantive dissent over decisions of the Commission.

The investigation report said Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi had recorded objections on several matters linked to the management of electoral rolls. According to the report, the two commissioners objected at least 14 times in 10 months. Four of the objections were reportedly made on the same day.

The issues included the addition of new voters, deletion and restoration of names, appeals against electoral-roll decisions and the management and security of voter data. The report also said the commissioners raised concerns about the centralisation of access to electoral-roll databases.

One of the issues concerned Form 6, the application used by citizens seeking new registration as voters. The report said a new question was added to the form on the ECI's ECINet portal, asking new applicants whether their own name or that of a parent or grandparent appeared in an electoral roll from the previous SIR exercise. The report quoted Sandhu as describing the change as "unauthorised and illegal" and calling for its removal. The investigation also reported concerns about the centralisation of electoral-roll software and the handling of voter data. It said Sandhu and Joshi wrote separately to the Cabinet Secretary over changes in work allocation that they believed reduced a layer of oversight of the information-technology system supporting electoral rolls.[24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Who is Gyanesh Kumar, the newly-appointed Election Commissioner ?". Livemint. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  2. ↑ "IIT Kanpur, Roorkee, Harvard University: Educational qualifications of Gyanesh Kumar & Vivek Joshi". The Indian Express. 18 February 2025. Archived from the original on 19 February 2025.
  3. ↑ "Gyanesh Kumar Education: From IAS Officer To CEC, Know His Degrees And Qualifications". Asianet Newsable. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  4. ↑ "Gyanesh Kumar offered me BJP candidature from Pathanamthitta, says Kerala ex-CS Jiji Thomson". @onmanorama. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kerala orders Vigilance inquiry into KSTP Project". Oneindia. United News of India. 25 November 2006. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  6. ↑ "Who is Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commissioner picked by PM Modi-led panel". The Indian Express. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "Who is Gyanesh Kumar, the newly appointed election commissioner". The Times of India. 14 March 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Ranjan, Mukesh (18 February 2025). "Gyanesh Kumar, once known as 'Kahwa man' in Delhi's North Block is now Chief Election Commissioner". The New Indian Express.
  9. 1 2 "Who Are Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, The Retired IAS Officers Appointed As Election Commissioners?". Outlook India. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Babu, Ramesh (27 November 2006). "Suicide note embarrasses Kerala". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Kerala orders inquiry into Rs16.12b road project". Gulf News. IANS. 27 November 2006. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mohan, Shainu (26 September 2026). "When Gyanesh Kumar was named accused in a suicide note". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  13. ↑ "Shri Gyanesh Kumar". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  14. ↑ Desk, India Today Video (4 October 2026). "Kerala Vigilance Probe Reopened Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Over 2006 Case". India Today. Retrieved 4 October 2026. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. ↑ "Kerala Home Minister Orders Vigilance Enquiry Against CEC Gyanesh Kumar Over 2006 PWD Allegations". News 18. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= requires |archive-date= (help)
  16. ↑ "Kerala orders vigilance probe into 2006 suicide case linked to CEC Gyanesh Kumar". The Times of India. 4 October 2026. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  17. ↑ "Gyanesh Kumar Appointed as India's New Chief Election Commissioner". Bru Times News.
  18. ↑ "Gyanesh Kumar to take over as Chief Election Commissioner on February 19; Supreme Court to hear plea against law under which he was appointed". The Hindu. 18 February 2025. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  19. ↑ "Gyanesh Kumar appointed 26th Chief Election Commissioner". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  20. ↑ "Gyanesh Kumar Appointed New Chief Election Commissioner". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  21. ↑ "Congress has 'atom bomb' of evidence on vote theft and when it explodes, EC wont have a place to hide, says Rahul Gandhi". The Hindu. 1 August 2025. Archived from the original on 1 August 2025.
  22. ↑ Dasgupta, Sravasti (7 August 2025). "'Elections Choreographed, Huge Criminal Fraud by Election Commission': Rahul Gandhi". The Wire (India). Archived from the original on 27 September 2025.
  23. 1 2 K. Nair, Sobhana (18 August 2025). "INDIA bloc considering motion to remove CEC Gyanesh Kumar". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025.
  24. ↑ "14 times in 10 months, two Election Commissioners objected on record to poll panel steps". The Indian Express. 23 September 2026.
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