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This is an archive article published on March 14, 2024

Who is Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commissioner picked by PM Modi-led panel

Gyanesh Kumar was the Parliamentary Affairs Secretary at the Centre earlier and also served as the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs during the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

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Gyanesh Kumar Election CommissionGyanesh Kumar served as Joint Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence from 2007 to 2012. (X/ radionews_jammu)

A high-level committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday named retired IAS officers Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as the new Election Commissioners.

The vacancies had come up after the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey on February 14 and the surprise resignation of Arun Goel on March 9. The six names shortlisted from over 200 candidates that are said to have come before the search committee headed by the Law Minister were that of Utpal Kumar Singh, Pradeep Kumar Tripathi, Gyanesh Kumar, Indevar Pandey, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, Sudhir Kumar Gangadhar Rahate — all former bureaucrats.

Who is Gyanesh Kumar?

Gyanesh Kumar, a 1988-batch Kerala cadre IAS officer (retd), superannuated as Cooperation Secretary on January 31, this year. Kumar was the Parliamentary Affairs Secretary at the Centre earlier and also served as the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs during the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

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During his tenure, the Cooperation Ministry saw enactment of the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) (Amendment) Act, 2023, and formation of three new national cooperative bodies — Bharatiya Beej Sahakari Samiti Limited (BBSSL), National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL), and National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL).

He played a crucial role in the timely launch of the CRCS-Sahara refund portal for submission of claims by genuine depositors of four Multi-State Cooperative Societies of Sahara Group.

Kumar served as Joint Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence from 2007 to 2012, during the UPA government.

Meawhile, senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Opposition member in the panel, has registered his dissent, saying the shortlisted names were not provided to him in advance.

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