Gyanesh Kumar | 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...

December 3, 2025 10:15 PM

CEC Gyanesh Kumar assumes chairship of International IDEA

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has assumed the chairship of the council of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for 2026. India has been elected as the new chair of the council of member states of International IDEA for 2026. The chairship is rotational among council members and will remain with India until 2033. India is one of the 14 founding member states of the organisation. According to an official statement from the Elec...

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...

May 19, 2025 3:11 PM

Over 3,000 Election Staff Now Trained Nationwide as New Jharkhand Batch Starts in Delhi

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday inaugurated a two-day capacity-building programme for Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Supervisors, and other election officials from Jharkhand at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM), New Delhi. According to an official statement from the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 402 participants—including District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), BLOs, and B...

February 19, 2025 10:39 AM

Newly appointed CEC Gyanesh Kumar takes charge; says first step for nation building is voting

Newly appointed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar assumed office on Wednesday, emphasizing the fundamental role of voting in nation-building. In his message to voters, he urged every eligible citizen to actively participate in the electoral process. "The first step for nation-building is voting. Every Indian citizen who has turned 18 should register as an elector and exercise their right to vote. In line with the Constitution of India, electoral laws, and related rules, the Electi...

February 18, 2025 10:49 PM

Former CEC Rajiv Kumar bids farewell, calls Election Commission ‘place of worship of democracy’

Rajiv Kumar, the 25th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, bid farewell to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, hailing the institution as a “place of worship of democracy.” Expressing optimism about its future, he said he was confident that under the incoming leadership, the ECI would reach even greater heights. In his parting remarks, Kumar praised the pivotal role played by voters and political parties in strengthening Indian democracy. “This building is the place ...

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...