Rajiv Kumar was appointed as the new Election Commissioner by President Ram Nath Kovind on August 21, 2020. The former finance secretary will be replacing Ashok Lavasa, who resigned earlier this week.
Rajiv Kumar’s appointment to the post will take effect on August 31, the day Lavasa leaves his office. His appointment comes at a time when the election commission is preparing to hold the Bihar assembly polls amid COVID-19 pandemic.
Term of Election Commissioner
Kumar will serve a five-year term as Election Commissioner. He is scheduled to retire from the post in 2025. Hence, it is likely that he will preside over the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.
Under the Election Commission rules, an election commissioner can served for a total of 6 years or till he turns 65, whichever is earlier. Rajiv Kumar will be turning 65 in 2025.
Who is Rajiv Kumar?
• Rajiv Kumar is a retired 1984-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre. He has over three decades of experience in public policy and administration across various sectors.
• He was till recently serving as the Chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB). His term that had started on April 29 was scheduled to end on April 28, 2023.
• He had previously served as the finance secretary from September 1, 2017 to February 29, 2020. Overall, he has been serving the finance ministry and other ministries of the central government since March 2012.
