New Delhi:

Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the senior of the two election commissioners after Chief Election Commission Rajiv Kumar, will succeed him, the government announced late this evening. As the next Chief Election Commissioner, he would be in charge of elections in four states – Opposition-ruled Bengal and Tamil Nadu and BJP-ruled Bihar and Assam. The election in Bihar is due later this year – the rest take place in 2026.

The announcement came shortly after a meeting of the Election Committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, where the Congress leader had given a note of dissent.   

Mr Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer from Kerala cadre, was part of the Union Home Ministry and helped draft the bill that scrapped Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. He is known to be close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

The Congress objected to the selection as the law on appointment of the Chief Election Commission has been challenged in the Supreme Court, which will hear it on Saturday. His party has alleged that the government wants control of Election Commission and is not concerned about its credibility.

Before parliament formed a law on the matter in 2023, the Chief Election Commissioner was appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Prime Minister. Traditionally, the seniormost of the two remaining Election commissioners gets the job.

Under the Chief Election Commissioner And Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service And Term of Office) Act, 2023, a committee headed by the law minister has to shortlist five candidates and the selection team – the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and a cabinet minister — has to make the final selection.