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Educational Background and Journey of Gyanesh Kumar to Chief Election Commissioner
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News18•16-10-2026, 13:50
Educational Background and Journey of Gyanesh Kumar to Chief Election Commissioner
- •Gyanesh Kumar assumed office as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India on February 19 2025.
- •He topped the Uttar Pradesh board exams during his school years and graduated with a B.Tech in Civil Engineering from IIT Kanpur in 1985.
- •In addition to his engineering degree he studied Business Finance at ICFAI and Environmental Economics at Harvard University.
- •He is a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre and has served in various key positions in both the state and central governments.
- •During his tenure in the Ministry of Home Affairs he was involved in significant national events including the abrogation of Article 370 and matters related to Ayodhya.
Key Questions Answered
Gyanesh Kumar assumed charge as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India on February 19, 2025, after previously serving as an election commissioner starting in March 2024.
Gyanesh Kumar completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur in 1985. Additionally, he studied business finance at ICFAI and environmental economics at Harvard University.
Before joining the Election Commission, Kumar served as Joint Secretary in the Department of Defence Production and held senior roles in the Ministry of Home Affairs during the abrogation of Article 370. He later served as secretary for the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Cooperation.
