Guwahati, Feb. 19 -- Gyanesh Kumar, the Senior Election Commissioner, will take over as the 26th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India on Wednesday.

This appointment coincides with the Supreme Court's scheduled hearing of a petition challenging the law under which his selection was made by a panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kumar, a Kerala cadre officer from the 1988 batch of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS), retired as Secretary of the Ministry of Cooperation on January 31, 2024.

Throughout his career, Kumar played a significant role in various key projects, including facilitating the creation of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust during his time at the Union Home Ministry.

In 2019, he led the Ja...