New Delhi: Rajiv Kumar, a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, took the charge as 25th Chief Election Commissioner on Sunday after his predecessor Sushil Chandra relinquished his charge after completing his tenure. Speaking after assuming charge, he said that a lot has been done during the past 70 years by the ECI in holding the free and fair elections, preventing malpractices and enhancing the quality of elections. Rajiv Kumar also emphasised the need to make the ECI even more efficient by the use of technology.
“The Commission will follow the time-tested and democratic methods of consultations and consensus building in bringing about any major reforms for dynamically evolving to changing contexts. And in matters for which it is responsible under the Constitution, ECI will not shy away from tough decisions”, he said. It is pertinent to note here that Kumar will soon be organising Assembly elections in the state of Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat this year and will also be overlooking the key Lok Sabha elections of 2024.
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During the past few years, the poll panel has often been accused by the opposition parties and civil society members of not taking appropriate actions against the guilty during the time of elections. The Madras High Court in 2021 accused the poll body of being irresponsible for conducting elections at the peak of the pandemic where people and of course, the leaders as well flouted the Covid protocols and in its judgment said that the EC officials should be booked under murder charges.
Similarly, the poll body has had to face the criticism after its officials joined an online interaction called by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) raising issues of propriety, Rajiv Kumar also attended the meeting. During his tenure as the Election Commissioner, elections have been held for the state assemblies of Bihar in 2020, Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu amidst Covid concerns in 2021-2022. Kumar has been serving as the Election Commissioner since September 1, 2022.
