New Delhi: Rajiv Kumar, who oversaw the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the crucial Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, demitted office on Tuesday as the 25th chief election commissioner after a nearly three-year tenure marked with high electoral successes but also repeated allegations of bias by opposition parties.
Kumar joined the poll panel as an Election Commissioner on September 1, 2020, and assumed charge as the 25th CEC on May 15, 2022. He served the EC for about four-and-a-half years in two capacities.
During his time with the EC, he effected reforms across various aspects of its functioning: structural, technological, capacity development, communication, international cooperation, and administration.
Meanwhile, Gyanesh Kumar will assume the office of the Chief Election Commissioner on Wednesday.
While leaving from the EC office, Rajiv Kumar said that this building is the place of worship of democracy.
“Through great hard work, it has amassed heritage in the last 75 years. I am very hopeful that in the time to come, this will rise higher than where it stands today. This is going to very capable hands. The new team will take it even higher,”
Further stating that the country’s democracy will remain strong and intact, and will earn honour before the worldm Kumar added, “I hope that people will remember and learn lessons from Indian democracy and Indian elections. The biggest contribution towards this is by the voters and political parties. I wish all the best to everyone, all voters.”
