Vivek Joshi assumes charge as Election Commissioner

THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK

New Delhi, Feb 19: Vivek Joshi, a former Haryana chief secretary and a 1989 batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, officially took charge as an election commissioner on Wednesday.

At 58, he is among the youngest members to join the Election Commission of India and could potentially oversee the 2029 Lok Sabha elections as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).

As per the law governing the tenure of election commissioners, the CEC and other ECs hold office for six years or until they reach the age of 65, whichever comes first.

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Born on May 21, 1966, Joshi will turn 65 in May 2031, but his term will conclude earlier, on February 18, 2031. Meanwhile, the current CEC, Gyanesh Kumar, will retire on January 26, 2029, while Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu will retire in July 2028.

Joshi has held key administrative roles in both the Haryana government and the central government, including serving as Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training and the Department of Financial Services. He has also been the Registrar General and Census Commissioner and a member secretary of Haryana’s Fifth State Finance Commission.

Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Joshi has an extensive academic background. He holds a mechanical engineering degree from IIT-Roorkee, a Master’s in International Business from IIFT, New Delhi, and an MA and Ph.D. in International Economics from the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland.