Former Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar assumes charge as new Election Commissioner

Rajiv Kumar assumes charge as new Election Commissioner

Former Finance Secretary and retired IAS officer Rajiv Kumar on Tuesday assumed charge as the new Election Commissioner (EC). He joins the Election Commission of India with Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora and Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra.

Rajiv Kumar is a 1984-batch Jharkhand cadre retired IAS officer. He was appointed by the government last month in place of EC Ashok Lavasa who resigned from the post. Lavasa has been appointed vice-president of Asian Development Bank. He vacated the office on August 31.

Kumar will have a five-year tenure and retire in 2025. He will preside over the next Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

According to rules, an election commissioner has six years on the post or till he turns 65, whichever is earlier. Kumar was born in February, 1960.

During the span of more than 36 years of service, Kumar has worked in various ministries at the Centre and his state cadre of earlier Bihar and then Jharkhand.

He retired as the union finance secretary in February this year and was appointed chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) on April 29.

Despite disruptions due to COVID-19, more than 40 selections were made in just a span of two months through virtual and physical interview process during his short stay at the public sector headhunter.

Kumar has also been Establishment Officer, Department of Personnel and Training, and prior to that joint secretary, Department of Expenditure with earlier assignments in Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Ministry of Environment and Forests, as also Education department in the state cadre.