New Delhi, Feb 18: Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar was appointed as the next chief election commissioner on Monday, the law ministry said.
Kumar is the first CEC to be appointed under a new law on the appointment of the members of the Election Commission (EC).
Vivek Joshi, a 1989-batch Haryana-cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been appointed as an election commissioner.
Born on May 21, 1966, Joshi (58) will serve in the poll panel till 2031.
According to law, a CEC or an EC retires at the age of 65 or can have a tenure in the poll panel for six years.
Joshi, a former Haryana chief secretary, was on central deputation since January 2019.
His appointment came hours after the Congress asked the government to defer its decision on the new CEC till the Supreme Court concludes its hearing on a petition challenging the composition of the selection panel.
The Congress`s demand was put forth by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi during a meeting of the selection panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said.
Besides Modi and Gandhi, Home Minister Amit Shah is the third member of the selection panel.
Kumar is a 1988-batch Kerala-cadre IAS officer.
As a secretary to the government of Kerala, Kumar handled diverse departments, such as finance resources, fast-track projects and the public works department.
