From IIT Kanpur to Election Commission: Here’s a look at CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s journey as calls for his resignation grow | Today’s news
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar is facing mounting calls for his removal over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Delhi has seen a series of protests in recent weeks, with Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joining the opposition’s campaign against the exercise. The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) also demanded Kumar’s resignation and planned a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 10, before which several of its leaders were detained.
Separately on Monday, leaders of the INDIA bloc marched to the Supreme Court and filed a petition for his removal.
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Gyanesh Kumar is a 1988 batch IAS officer of Kerala cadre. He took over as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India in February 2025.
He received his BTech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur and did his postgraduate studies in Environmental Economics from Harvard University. He also studied corporate finance at ICFAI.
He has held senior roles in central ministries, including joint secretary for defense and additional secretary for home affairs, and served as secretary in the ministries of parliamentary affairs and cooperation. In Kerala, he headed several departments and served as Ernakulam District Collector and Cochin Municipal Commissioner.
Opposition officials cite alleged irregularities in a particularly intensive revision of voter lists. Their calls intensified after a report said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had filed written objections to the decisions regarding the names and functioning of the commission.
The petition called for an independent, time-bound audit of voter erasures and database changes, the release of Election Commission records and the suspension of the SIR while the case is adjudicated. It also sought safeguards against striking off voters without prior notice and a reasonable opportunity to be heard.
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Calls for Kumar’s resignation grew after an Indian Express investigation late last month highlighted an internal rift in the panel. The report said that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had raised at least 14 written objections against decisions related to electoral rolls and the functioning of the Commission over a period of 10 months. The Electoral Commission subsequently claimed that its decisions were unanimous and that its digital systems operated under strict security protocols.
In the middle of the row is Kumar, who took over as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India in February 2025.
Who is Gyanesh Kumar?
Born on 27 January 1964 in Uttar Pradesh, Kumar studied engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, where he completed his BTech in Civil Engineering. He then completed his postgraduate studies in Environmental Economics at Harvard University and in addition to studying Corporate Finance at the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI).
His father was a doctor and his grandfather was a freedom fighter who later served as a principal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
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He is a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, with varied experience of working in both the central and state governments. At the Centre, he held posts including Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Secretary in the Ministries of Parliamentary Affairs and Cooperation.
During his tenure in the Kerala government, Kumar headed various departments including financial resources; Public works; and Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs. He has served as Executive Director of Kerala State Development Corporation for SC/ST, District Collector of Ernakulam and Municipal Commissioner of Cochin Corporation.
He also oversaw the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 during his tenure as Joint Secretary in the Home Ministry’s Kashmir Division, headed by Amit Shah.
In 2020, Kumar served as Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, heading a specialized office responsible for matters arising out of the Ayodhya High Court verdict. Among her responsibilities was the establishment of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust.
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A Supreme Court order dated 9 November 2019 ordered the creation of a trust to oversee the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Kumar then headed the Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh affairs department in the ministry. The Ayodhya cell of the ministry was established in 1990.
Later, during his tenure in the Ministry of Cooperation, Kumar was instrumental in the enactment of the Multi-State Cooperatives (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
