Rajiv Kumar new CEC, will oversee 2024 Lok Sabha poll

New Delhi, May 12

The senior-most Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, was today appointed as the next Chief Election Commissioner. He will oversee the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and several Assembly elections.

MPs completing term

Punjab: Ambika Soni and

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Balwinder Singh

Haryana: Dushyant Gautam and Subhash Chandra

Kumar will assume charge on May 15 after incumbent Sushil Chandra demits office on May 14, a notification issued by the Law Ministry said.

Once Chandra demits office, there will be a vacancy in the poll panel. Born in 1960, Kumar will remain the CEC till February 2025. Kumar was the chairperson of Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) when he was appointed Election Commissioner. He took charge as EC on September 1, 2020, after a vacancy was created following the resignation of then EC Ashok Lavasa. A 1984-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, Kumar superannuated in February 2020.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission today announced Rajya Sabha polls on June 10 to fill 57 seats from 15 states, including two seats each will be from Punjab and Haryana, due to the retirement of members between June and August.

From Punjab, Ambika Soni and Balwinder Singh will be completing their terms, and from Haryana Dushyant Gautam and Subhash Chandra. Other prominent leaders, who are retiring from 13 other states include Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Kapil Sibal, and BSP’s Satish Chandra Mishra.

While 11 seats are falling vacant in Uttar Pradesh, six members each are retiring from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, five from Bihar and four each from Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka. Three members each from Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, two each from Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Jharkhand and Haryana, and one from Uttarakhand are also retiring. The notification for the polls will be issued on May 24 and voting will be held on June 10. According to the established practice, counting will take place an hour after the conclusion of polling.

The new members who get elected are likely to vote in the President’s election, due sometime in July, officials said.