Rajiv Kumar has been appointed as Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India (ECI) with effect from May 15, 2022. He will take office after the current Chief Electoral Commissioner, Sushil Chandra, steps down on May 14, 2022. ECE’s Election Commissioner is effective September 1, 2020.

Indian President Ram Nath Kovind made the appointment under Article 324(2) of the Constitution by a notification issued by the Ministry of Justice on May 12. Union Law and Justice Minister Kieren Rijiju tweeted the news today. Rijiju also tweeted his best wishes to Kumar. Kumar was born on February 19, 1960. He holds a BA in Public Policy, an LL.B., a PGDM and a master’s degree. An officer at the Cadre Administrative Service in Bihar/Jharkhand, India, in 1984, Kumar retired from IAS in February 2020.

He then chaired the Public Enterprise Select Board (PESB) in April 2020 and joined the ECI as an electoral board on September 1, 2020. He has 36 years of appointments in various central and national ministries in the social, environmental and forests, human resources, finance and banking sectors.

Kumar has served as Chairman of the Central Committees of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), SBI, NABARD; Member of the Economic Intelligence Committee (EIC); Member of the Financial Stability Development Directorate (FSDC); Member of the Banking Bureau (BBB); Financial Sector Regulatory Appointments Search Committee (FSRASC), the Civil Service Commission and many other such boards and committees.