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Gyanesh Kumar: From IIT Kanpur to Chief Election Commissioner
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News18•23-09-2026, 15:43
Gyanesh Kumar: From IIT Kanpur to Chief Election Commissioner
- •Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch IAS officer, assumed charge as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India on February 19, 2025.
- •He is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur, where he completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering in 1985, and also studied at ICFAI and Harvard University.
- •Kumar served nearly four decades in civil services, holding key positions in Kerala, including District Collector of Ernakulam and Municipal Commissioner of Cochin.
- •He held senior roles in the Union government, including Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation.
- •IIT Kanpur conferred its Distinguished Alumni Award on Kumar in 2025 for his contributions to transformational policy, administrative expertise, and electoral governance.
Key Questions Answered
Gyanesh Kumar took charge as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner of India on February 19, 2025.
Gyanesh Kumar is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, where he completed his B.Tech in Civil Engineering in 1985. He later studied Business Finance at ICFAI and Environmental Economics at Harvard University.
Before heading the Election Commission, Gyanesh Kumar served as an IAS officer of the Kerala cadre. His central government roles included serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Secretary in the Ministry of Cooperation before retiring on January 31, 2024.
