CEC Rajiv Kumar retires today: A tenure marked by highs, lows and Urdu poetry make unique title from original.

CEC Rajiv Kumar retires today: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar demits office today, February 18, after overseeing 31 assembly elections and the Lok Sabha election 2024. Gyanesh Kumar, the election commissioner since March last year, will replace Rajiv Kumar as the 26th CEC of India. 

Rajiv Kumar’s four-and-a-half-year term at the election commission included about three years as (CEC).

A retired 1984-batch IAS officer of the Bihar-Jharkhand cadre, Kumar joined the poll panel as Election Commissioner on September 1, 2020, replacing , who had resigned. Lavasa reportedly had differed from the then CEC Sunil Arora during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on issues such as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) violations by high-profile political leaders. Lavasa was next in line to be the CEC.

Soon after Kumar joined, the poll panel announced the Bihar Assembly elections. Held in October-November that year, the Bihar polls were the first elections to be held during the

The Highs

Kumar took over as CEC on May 15, 2022, replacing Sushil Chandra. The poll panel held the 2022 elections for the President and Vice President.

In December 2022, the Kumar-led election commission floated the concept of remote voting and invited political parties to see a demonstration of a prototype of a . The move was meant to make it easier for migrant workers to vote for their home constituencies. The idea never took off as political parties raised issues about the practicality and security of remote voting.

The Election Commission said in a statement on Monday that Kumar’s tenure on the poll panel was characterised by silent yet deep-rooted reforms across various domains spanning structural, technological, capacity development, communication, international cooperation, and administration. 

“Kumar during his tenure has completed one full electoral cycle with conduct of elections in 31 states/UTs, the and Vice-Presidential elections 2022, and Rajya Sabha renewals -a rare and monumental feat in electoral management. The elections were conducted peacefully with near zero repolls and incidents of violence,” the poll panel said.

The poll panel also held elections in Jammu and Kashmir under Rajiv Kumar. The 2024 assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir was the first since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

Elections in Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra were also held in 2024, followed by the recent elections in the national capital under Rajiv Kumar. The Delhi Assembly Election was held amid complaints of voter list manipulation by the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress.

“For an inclusive election, efforts were made to enrol marginalised sections like PVTGs and third genders. While conveying his respect, he wrote personalised letters to over 2.5 lakh centenarian voters for their contribution to democracy. He consistently raised and pursued innovative measures like establishment of polling stations in to address the rising trend of youth and urban apathy in the election process,” the poll panel said in the farewell note.

The Criticism

Rajiv Kumar was in the spotlight after ‘s resignation last year. Goel resigned on March 9, 2024, just before the poll panel was set to announce the dates of the Lok Sabha elections 2024. Goel was scheduled to succeed Rajiv Kumar as CEC in 2025.

Later, it emerged that there were some ‘differences’ between the two. While Goel never spoke about his resignation, Kumar said in a press conference later that there was always dissent within the EC. In October 2024, the Union government appointed Goel as the Indian ambassador to Croatia.

During Lok Sabha Elections 2024, Kumar sent notices to the BJP and Congress party presidents over complaints regarding model code of conduct violations by high-profile leaders, including and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. This was the first time that party presidents had been issued notices for speeches by their leaders inviting criticism.

Overall, the poll panel issued 13 notices for MCC violations, six censures, and three temporary bans on campaigning. Five notices were issued to the BJP and four to the Congress. 

The poll panel under Rajiv Kumar also faced questions over the delay in releasing voter turnout data, among other issues. The opposition often accused the poll panel under Rajiv Kumar of favouring the ruling (BJP), a charge that the panel rejected.

Earlier this month, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi claimed that the number of eligible voters in Maharashtra increased by the Lok Sabha elections in April-June 2024 and the state assembly election in November.

BJP-led ruling the state in the assembly poll, winning 230 of the total 288 assembly constituencies.

“Bureaucrat who thrived in the governments”

Last year, The Hindu, in one of its profiles on Rajiv Kumar, described him as a “bureaucrat who thrived in the governments of different political parties” in the state and at the Centre.

“Before Jharkhand was carved out from Bihar, Rajiv Kumar was in the Bihar cadre and was considered close to the then government of . He was very close to Mukund Prasad, a 1966 batch IAS officer, who was Principal Secretary in the CMO during the Lalu and Rabri Devi governments before he was elevated as Chief Secretary in November 2000,” the profile read.

In his on Monday, Rajiv Kumar said that the poll panel was made a “scapegoat” by those “unwilling to accept electoral outcomes”. 

“The Commission, as an institution, often finds itself unfairly blamed by those unwilling to accept electoral outcomes. A pressing concern is the growing tendency to target election officials in the aftermath of electoral contests. It is perceived as a convenient scapegoat,” he said.

Rajiv Kumar calls himself a ‘trekker, seeker and a family person,’ in his X bio. Apart from his share of highs and lows, Rajiv will also be remembered for lacing his press conferences with Urdu couplets to make his point.

“Kar na sakein ikraar toh koi baat nahi, meri wafa ka unko aitbaar toh hai. Shikayat bhale hi unki majboori ho, magar sunna, sehna, suljhana humari aadat toh hai. (It’s alright even if they don’t agree. They still have faith in my loyalty. Maybe complaining is a compulsion for them. But it’s our habit to listen, bear and sort things out),” at his last press conference when announcing the dates of the Delhi Elections 2025 on January 7.