New Delhi : Newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday took charge and in his message to the voters said that the first step for nation building was voting.
He further stated that in accordance with the Constitution, the electoral laws and rules issued therein, the Election Commission always stood with the voters.
"First step for nation building is voting. Therefore, every citizen of India who has completed 18 years of age should become an elector and should always vote. In accordance with the Constitution of India, electoral laws, rules and instructions issued therein, the Election Commission of India was, is and will always be with the voters," Kumar said speaking to the media.
Gyanesh Kumar is a 1988-batch IAS officer from the Kerala cadre and is senior to the two other commissioners on the three-member panel that was led by Rajiv Kumar. The other commissioner on the panel is Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, an officer from the Uttarakhand cadre and Vivek Joshi. The other newly appointed election commissioner Vivek Joshi also assumed charge as the Election Commissioner in pursuance of Ministry of Law & Justice, Gazette notification dated 17.02.2025.
He is a 1989 batch officer of the IAS of Haryana cadr Meanwhile, Rajiv Kumar, who served as the 25th Chief Election Commissioner of India, bid farewell to the Election Commission of India on Tuesday, describing it as "the place of worship of democracy."
He expressed optimism about the institution's future, stating that it would "rise higher than where it stands today" under the leadership of the incoming team.
Kumar emphasised the pivotal role of voters and political parties in strengthening India's democracy and extended his best wishes to all voters.
Speaking to ANI, Rajiv Kumar said, "This building is the place of worship of democracy. Through great hard work, it has amassed heritage in the last 75 years. I am very hopeful that in the time to come, this will rise higher than where it stands today. This is going to very capable hands. The new team will take it even higher."
"The country's democracy will remain strong and intact and will earn honour before the world. I hope that people will remember and learn lessons from Indian democracy and Indian elections. The biggest contribution towards this is by the voters and political parties. I wish all the best to everyone, all voters," he said.
According to the statement released by the Commission, Kumar joined the ECI as Election Commissioner on September 1, 2020, and assumed charge as the 25th CEC of India on May 15, 2022.His tenure spanning 4.5 years in the Commission was characterised by silent yet deep-rooted reforms across various domains spanning structural, technological, capacity development, communication, international cooperation and administration.
Kumar, during his tenure, had completed one full electoral cycle with the conduct of elections in 31 states and Union Territory, the Presidential and Vice Presidential elections in 2022, Lok Sabha elections of 2024 and Rajya Sabha renewals--a rare and monumental feat in electoral management. The elections were conducted peacefully with near-zero repolls and incidents of violence, the Commission stated.