Stories
Journey of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from UP Board Topper to IIT and Harvard
- •Gyanesh Kumar assumed office as India's 26th Chief Election Commissioner on February 19, 2025.
- •He is a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre and an alumnus of IIT Kanpur.
- •He topped the UP Board Class 10 examination in 1979 and the Intermediate examination in 1981.
- •He pursued a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur and later studied at Harvard University.
- •He has served in numerous key roles in both the Kerala state government and the Central Government.
Key Questions Answered
Gyanesh Kumar assumed office as India's 26th Chief Election Commissioner on February 19, 2025, after previously serving as an Election Commissioner starting in March 2024.
Gyanesh Kumar topped the UP Board Class 10 exam in 1979 and the Intermediate exam in 1981, later earning a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1985. He also studied Business Finance from ICFAI and Environment Economics at Harvard University.
A 1988-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre, Gyanesh Kumar served as District Collector of Ernakulam, Municipal Commissioner of Cochin, and Managing Director of Kerala State Cooperative Bank. At the central level, he worked in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, contributing to developments related to Jammu and Kashmir and Ayodhya before retiring in January 2024.
