New Delhi, 17 February (HS): The Election Commission today bid farewell to Rajiv Kumar, who is going to retire from the post of Chief Election Commissioner tomorrow. Rajiv Kumar became Election Commissioner on 01 September 2020 and took over as the 25th Chief Election Commissioner of the country on 15 May 2022.
In his farewell speech, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar thanked 1.5 crore polling officers for their dedication to uphold democratic values. He stressed that the trust of nearly one billion voters remains unwavering despite motivated and unsubstantiated attacks on India's democratic institutions. He praised voters, especially women voters, for their vibrant participation and said that the electoral process is now moving towards greater inclusiveness.
Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu praised the inclusive, transformative and purposeful leadership of Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. He said that this has strengthened the electoral processes and India's stature in the field of election management has increased further at the global level.
His tenure in the Commission was characterized by silent but profound reforms in various areas such as structural, technical, capacity development, communication, international cooperation and administration. Many electoral reforms were carried out during Rajiv Kumar's tenure. These included implementing four eligibility dates for voter registration with advanced application facility for youth above 17 years of age; simplified forms for voter registration; redefining electoral boundaries with delimitation in Assam; ensuring voting by polling personnel at the Voter Facilitation Center to avoid any kind of intimidation, delay and malpractices. These initiatives were aimed at empowering every eligible citizen by modernizing election administration.
Kumar conducted elections in 31 states/union territories during his tenure. Along with this, he conducted the 2022 Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections, 2024 Lok Sabha elections and elections related to filling various vacancies in the Rajya Sabha. This is a rare and memorable achievement in electoral management. During this period, the elections were conducted peacefully and there were almost zero incidents of re-polls and violence.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
