CEC | DD News

February 25, 2026 10:50 AM

ECI, state poll commissioners adopt National Declaration 2026 to strengthen electoral roll coordination

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday concluded the National Round Table Conference with State Election Commissioners (SECs) at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, with participants adopting the National Declaration 2026 and resolving to deepen institutional cooperation in electoral management. The conference, held after a gap of 27 years, was chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in the presence of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. In his inaugu...

November 27, 2025 10:52 AM

CEC Gyanesh Kumar to assume chairship of International IDEA on December 3

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar will assume the Chairship of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for the year 2026. He will take over the post on December 3, 2025, during the meeting of the Council of Member States in Stockholm, Sweden, and will preside over all Council meetings throughout 2026. International IDEA, founded in 1995, is an inter-governmental organisation that works to strengthen democratic institutions and electo...

October 27, 2025 10:55 PM

ECI to conduct second phase of special intensive revision in 12 states, UTs; final voter list on Feb 7, 2026

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 States and Union Territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said on Monday. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, CEC Kumar said the exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Na...

October 5, 2025 5:11 PM

Bihar assembly polls to be held before November 22: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the Bihar Assembly elections will be held before November 22, when the term of the current Legislative Assembly ends. Bihar has 243 assembly constituencies, including two reserved for Scheduled Tribes (STs) and 38 for Scheduled Castes (SCs). Addressing a press conference in Patna after a two-day review of poll preparedness, the CEC said that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar was completed within t...

October 3, 2025 7:41 PM

Election observers are beacons of democracy: CEC Gyanesh Kumar

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday held a comprehensive briefing for General, Police, and Expenditure Observers who will be deployed as Central Observers for the upcoming Bihar Legislative Assembly elections and bye-elections in several states. A total of 425 officers, including 287 IAS officers, 58 IPS officers, and 80 officers from IRS, IRAS, ICAS, and other services, participated in the briefing session organised at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Ma...

February 18, 2025 8:39 AM

Gyanesh Kumar appointed as new Chief Election Commissioner

The Central government on Monday announced the appointment of Gyanesh Kumar as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). He will be replacing Rajiv Kumar. 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 government also announced the appointment of Vivek Joshi as...

October 15, 2024 4:59 PM

Jharkhand assembly elections to be held in two phases on Nov 13 and 20, results on Nov 23

The assembly elections in Jharkhand will take place in two phases – on November 13 and November 20 – while vote counting is scheduled for November 23, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Tuesday. Addressing a press conference, Kumar also said that polling in Maharashtra will be conducted in a single phase on November 20, with results to be declared on the same day as Jharkhand, November 23. A total of 2.60 crore voters are eligible to cast their ballots in Jharkhand, inclu...

October 15, 2024 4:20 PM

Maharashtra to go to polls on Nov 20, results on Nov 23

Maharashtra will go to the polls in a single phase on November 20, with vote counting set for November 23, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Kumar outlined the election timeline. The last date for filing nominations is October 29, with scrutiny scheduled for October 30. The deadline for the withdrawal of candidatures is November 4. The key contenders in the Maharashtra elections are the ruling Mahayuti Alliance, which inc...

September 16, 2024 4:02 PM

Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir to be held in three phases from September 18

The Assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be conducted in three phases, beginning on September 18, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Friday. During a press conference in New Delhi, Kumar announced the election schedule, saying that the first phase of voting will take place on September 18, followed by the second phase on September 25, and the final phase on October 1. The counting of votes is scheduled for October 4. Nominations for the first phase m...

September 16, 2024 5:35 PM

Indian elections are indeed a miracle, created world record of 642 million voters: CEC Rajiv Kumar

India recorded the highest voter turnout in the world during the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Monday. Addressing a press conference, Kumar commended the voters who participated in the elections and said that the Indian elections are “indeed a miracle." "We have created a world record of 642 million voters. This is a historic moment for all of us. This is 1.5 times the voters of all G7 countries and 2.5 times the voters of 27 coun...