Rajiv Kumar appointed next CEC, to assume charge on May 15

Rajiv Kumar will take charge as the next Chief Election Commissioner of India on May 15, the government announced on Thursday.

Kumar will oversee several crucial elections in his tenure as CEC, starting with by-polls, the Presidential and Vice Presidential polls in July followed by a string of assembly elections and then the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Currently, Election Commissioner Kumar, a 1984 batch IAS officer from Bihar/Jharkhand cadre, has served the government for 36 years and retired as the finance secretary in 2020.


As finance secretary, Kumar worked closely on banking reforms, effecting prudential norms of lending and was known for effecting a freeze of bank accounts of 3.38 lakh shell companies, which were being used for creating fictitious equity.

He also planned and implemented the re-capitalization programme for PSBs amounting to '2.11 lakh crore to support capital adequacy of PSBs and prevent default. He is credited with turnaround of banking sector.

He went on to Chair the Public Enterprises Selection Board and was appointed as Election Commissioner in September 2020.

Kumar on Thursday urged chief electoral officers to carry forward the journey of reforms initiated during the tenure of CEC Sushil Chandra.