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Gyanesh Kumar (born 27 January 1964) is the current chief election commissioner of India, and the first to be appointed under the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.[1][2] He has previously served as an election commissioner and as an IAS officer.[3] He came under scrutiny during the 2025 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 in the 2024 Indian general election.
Gyanesh Kumar was born on 27 January 1964 in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. He completed a BTech at IIT Kanpur. Following his graduating, Kumar pursued Business Finance at the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India, before studying Environmental Economics at Harvard University.[4][5]
Gyanesh Kumar was the Co-operation Secretary and Parliamentary Affairs Secretary at the Centre earlier and also served as the additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.[6] During his tenure, the Cooperation Ministry[7] saw enactment of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) (Amendment) Act, 2023,[8] and formation of three new national cooperative bodies – Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL).[9]
He played a crucial role in the timely launch of the CRCS-Sahara refund portal for submission of claims by genuine depositors of four Multi-State Cooperative Societies of Sahara Group.[10]
Kumar served as Joint Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence from 2007 to 2012, during the UPA government.[11]
On 19 February 2025, Kumar was appointed as new Chief Election Commissioner of India.[12]
In August 2025, Kumar being the focal point of the 2025 Indian electoral controversy, wherein Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress, alleged electoral fraud in the 2024 Indian general election and collusion of the ECI with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), leading to protests.[13] He has been 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 response, Kumar has criticised the opposition of "spreading misinformation."[14]
During a parliamentary session on 18 August 2025, the INDIA bloc publicly acknowledged that it was considering a motion of impeachment against Kumar.[14]
