21 assembly polls, 'One Nation, One Election': Challenges galore for new CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Amidst questions being raised over the selection process, the new chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, comes with an onerous responsibility. Among the series of elections lined up till his retirement in January 2029 include 21 state assembly elections, and the elections to the post of president and vice president to be held in 2027.

While his tenure will end just ahead of the 2029 Lok Sabha polls, he will be responsible for the preparation of the gigantic exercise. However, his major responsibility may come after the 'One Nation, One Election' bill is passed by the Parliament. If that happens, Kumar may have a role to play in the preparation of the electoral roll and laying the groundwork for conducting simultaneous elections. That won’t come easy as it involves massive administrative exercise.

Kumar, in the past few years, has been directly involved with the two big administrative moves with equally massive political significance - the abrogation of article 370 and the formation of trust for the construction of Ram Temple, while he was posted in the Union home ministry.

A Kerala cadre IAS officer, Kumar, apart from serving in the Union home ministry, also served as secretary in the ministry of parliamentary affairs and Union cooperation ministry, which was his second posting with Home Minister Amit Shah. He was inducted into the Election Commission as an election commissioner, along with Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, in March 2024, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Kumar’s posting comes at a time when the relations between the opposition party and the Election Commission are marked by a visible distrust. The opposition parties have been hitting at the Election Commission alleging that it was not sensitive to their complaints of violations of the code of conduct by the ruling party, but was strict with the former.

The outgoing CEC Rajiv Kumar, lamented in his farewell speech about “motivated and uncorroborated attacks on India’s democratic institutions.” Though he did not name anyone, his views made it clear that he was hinting at the opposition parties. “The Commission, as an institution, often finds itself unfairly blamed by those unwilling to accept electoral outcomes. A pressing concern is the growing tendency to target election officials in the aftermath of electoral contests; it is perceived as a convenient scapegoat,” Kumar said.

The outgoing CEC argued that all candidates and parties are involved in every stage of the process with utmost transparency. “Having participated in each step, without raising objections or filing appeals during the process, attempting to create doubt afterwards is undesirable. Dialogue should always be the preferred approach and while the Commission reacts with sagacity, stoicism and restraint, this is a disturbing trend and should be abandoned soon," he said.

Gyanesh Kumar’s appointment comes in the backdrop of such controversies. Also, the Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, under which the chief justice of India was kept out of the selection panel.

The Congress alleged the Centre went ahead with the selection process without awaiting the Supreme Court's directive, making it clear that it wanted to “control” the EC. The new CEC may have a role to play in addressing the concerns of the opposition parties which often raises the issue of faulty EVMs and a level playing field.