Retired IAS officer Rajeev Kumar took charge as Election Commissioner today. (ANI)Former Finance Secretary and retired IAS officer Rajeev Kumar took over as the new Election Commissioner (EC) Tuesday.
Kumar, a 1984-batch Jharkhand Cadre retired IAS, has replaced Ashok Lavasa who resigned from the post earlier this month to join as the vice president of Asian Development Bank.
His premature exit — a second in the Election Commission’s history — puts his colleague Sushil Chandra next in the line of succession.
Kumar, who retired as the Finance Secretary on April 29 this year, was appointed as Chairman of Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) for a period of three years. He has more than 30 years of experience in public policy and administration in several sectors. A 1984 batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, Kumar holds BSc and LLB degrees, along with Masters in Public Policy and Sustainability.
“He has keen commitment to use of technology applications and to bring about amendments in extant policy regime towards greater transparency, deliver of services to citizens directly, eliminating intermediaries,” EC’s press statement reads.
As Chief Election Commissioner, Kumar is expected to oversee the next general election in 2024.