Earlier, Vivek Joshi replaced Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad, a 1988 batch IAS officer who superannuated from the post in October 2024.
Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch Haryana-cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was appointed as an Election Commissioner of India on Monday. According to law, a CEC or an EC retires at the age of 65 or can have a tenure in the poll panel for six years.
Earlier, Sushil Chandra, who was serving as the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman, was appointed as an EC. He resigned from the CBDT before joining the poll authority.
Gyanesh Kumar appointed as CEC
India also got a new Chief Election Commissioner after Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was elevated as the next CEC.
Kumar is the first CEC to be appointed under a new law on the appointment of the members of the Election Commission (EC). His term will run till January 26, 2029, days before the EC is expected to announce the schedule of the next Lok Sabha election.
Who is Vivek Joshi?
Born on May 21, 1966, Joshi (58) will serve in the poll panel till 2031. Joshi, a former Haryana chief secretary, was on central deputation since January 2019.
During his tenure as the 26th CEC, Kumar will oversee the Bihar Assembly polls later this year, and the Kerala and Puducherry Assembly polls in 2026.
Similarly, he will oversee the Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, which are also due in 2026.
Kumar, who played a key role in implementing decisions following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir during his stint in the Union home ministry, took charge as an election commissioner on March 15, 2024.
His appointment came hours after the Congress asked the government to defer its decision on the new CEC till the Supreme Court concludes its hearing on a petition challenging the composition of the selection panel.
The Congress’s demand was put forth by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during a meeting of the selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said.
The meeting took place in the South Block office of the prime minister. Besides PM Modi and Gandhi, Home Minister Amit Shah is the third member of the selection panel.
(With PTI inputs)
