Election Commission of India - Election Commission, Election, Commission

Gyanesh Kumar Active

From Date	:	February 19th, 2025
To Date	:	Incumbent
Remarks	:	He is currently serving as the Chief Election Commissioner, having assumed the highest office in early 2025. His ongoing tenure involves leading the Election Commission through crucial upcoming state and national elections while pushing forward continuous technological reforms.

Rajiv Kumar Retired

From Date	:	May 15th, 2022
To Date	:	February 18th, 2025
Remarks	:	He successfully completed his term and stepped down in early 2025 after steering the monumental 2024 General Elections. His departure marked the end of a tenure defined by strict crackdowns on election-related inducements and a push for greater voter turnout.

Sushil Chandra Retired

From Date	:	April 13th, 2021
To Date	:	May 14th, 2022
Remarks	:	He retired in May 2022 after guiding the Election Commission through several crucial state assembly polls amidst recurring pandemic waves. His departure followed the successful implementation of remote voting facilities for senior citizens and differently-abled voters.

Sunil Arora Retired

From Date	:	December 2nd, 2018
To Date	:	April 12th, 2021
Remarks	:	He concluded his time in office in April 2021 after navigating the unprecedented challenge of conducting elections safely during the global COVID-19 pandemic. His retirement brought a close to a tenure characterized by complex logistical planning under strict health protocols.

Om Prakash Rawat Retired

From Date	:	January 23rd, 2018
To Date	:	December 1st, 2018
Remarks	:	His brief term ended in December 2018 when he attained the constitutionally mandated retirement age. He retired after prioritizing the deployment of VVPAT machines alongside EVMs to ensure greater transparency in the voting process.

Achal Kumar Jyoti Retired

From Date	:	July 6th, 2017
To Date	:	January 22nd, 2018
Remarks	:	He stepped down from the role in early 2018 upon reaching the mandatory age limit of 65. His retirement followed the successful execution of several key state elections, drawing from his vast administrative experience in Gujarat.

Syed Nasim Ahmad Zaidi Retired

From Date	:	April 19th, 2015
To Date	:	July 5th, 2017
Remarks	:	He officially retired in July 2017 after completing his tenure and bringing significant focus to the accessibility of elections for voters with disabilities. His exit marked the end of a long and distinguished public service career spanning both aviation and electoral administration.

Harishankar Brahma Retired

From Date	:	January 16th, 2015
To Date	:	April 18th, 2015
Remarks	:	He served a relatively brief tenure as the Chief Election Commissioner before hitting the constitutional age limit of 65. He retired in April 2015, handing over the reins after continuing the administrative momentum set by his predecessors.

Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath Retired

From Date	:	June 11th, 2012
To Date	:	January 15th, 2015
Remarks	:	His departure occurred upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65 in early 2015. He left behind a successful track record of conducting the 2014 General Elections, the largest democratic exercise in the world at that time.

Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi Retired

From Date	:	July 30th, 2010
To Date	:	June 10th, 2012
Remarks	:	He reached the statutory retirement age and concluded his term in 2012, having championed voter education and expenditure monitoring. Following his exit, he remained a highly vocal advocate for electoral reforms and authored extensive literature on the mechanics of Indian elections.

Navin Chawla Retired

From Date	:	April 21st, 2009
To Date	:	July 29th, 2010
Remarks	:	He completed his tenure in 2010 after successfully steering the Election Commission during the 2009 General Elections. His retirement allowed him to focus on his philanthropic interests and his notable work writing about the life and legacy of Mother Teresa.

Needamangalam Gopalaswami Retired

From Date	:	June 30th, 2006
To Date	:	April 20th, 2009
Remarks	:	His tenure as the Chief Election Commissioner ended upon his retirement in 2009 after navigating several complex state assembly elections. He left the Commission leaving behind a legacy of technological adoptions, including the wider implementation of photo electoral rolls.

Brij Bihari Tandon Retired

From Date	:	May 16th, 2005
To Date	:	June 29th, 2006
Remarks	:	He completed his term as CEC in 2006, wrapping up a dedicated career in the Indian Administrative Service. His exit from the Commission allowed him to step into private sector advisory roles and participate actively on the boards of various corporate entities.

Taruvai Subayya Krishnamurthy Retired

From Date	:	February 8th, 2004
To Date	:	May 15th, 2005
Remarks	:	His retirement in 2005 came after he successfully oversaw the massive 2004 General Elections across the country. He stepped down having strongly advocated for transparency in political funding and leaving a mark as a steady, reform-minded administrator.

James Michael Lyngdoh Retired

From Date	:	June 14th, 2001
To Date	:	February 7th, 2004
Remarks	:	He concluded his tenure in early 2004, having earned immense public respect for conducting free and fair elections in Jammu and Kashmir. His retirement marked the end of a highly principled administrative career, for which he was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award.

Manohar Singh Gill Retired

From Date	:	December 12th, 1996
To Date	:	June 13th, 2001
Remarks	:	He successfully completed his term and subsequently made a rare transition from a constitutional post into active politics. After leaving the Election Commission, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha and later served as a Union Minister in the Indian government.

Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan Retired

From Date	:	December 12th, 1990
To Date	:	December 11th, 1996
Remarks	:	He retired after completing his six-year term, leaving behind a legendary legacy of aggressively cleaning up the Indian electoral system. His departure was widely noted across the nation, as he had fundamentally transformed the Election Commission into a fiercely independent and feared institution.

Venkata Subbamma Ramadevi Retired

From Date	:	November 26th, 1990
To Date	:	December 11th, 1990
Remarks	:	She holds the unique distinction of serving as the only woman Chief Election Commissioner, though her tenure was remarkably brief as she served in an acting capacity. She stepped down when T. N. Seshan was formally appointed to the role, later going on to serve as the Governor of Karnataka.

Rudrabatla Venkata Surya Peri Sastri Deceased

From Date	:	January 1st, 1986
To Date	:	November 25th, 1990
Remarks	:	His tenure came to a tragic and premature end due to his untimely death from cancer in November 1990. Before his passing, he bravely defended the autonomy of the Commission and initiated the first steps toward deploying Electronic Voting Machines and lowering the voting age.

Ram Krishna Trivedi Retired

From Date	:	June 18th, 1982
To Date	:	December 31st, 1985
Remarks	:	He gracefully concluded his time at the Election Commission upon reaching the end of his official term in late 1985. His exit marked the transition toward modernizing the electoral machinery, setting the stage for future technological and systemic upgrades.

Shyam Lal Shakdhar Retired

From Date	:	June 18th, 1977
To Date	:	June 17th, 1982
Remarks	:	He retired after fulfilling his constitutional tenure, during which he was instrumental in introducing several reforms to the electoral process. His departure allowed him to pursue writing and share his profound expertise in parliamentary procedures and constitutional matters with a wider audience.

Thirumalraya Swaminathan Retired

From Date	:	February 7th, 1973
To Date	:	June 17th, 1977
Remarks	:	He completed his appointed term in 1977 during one of the most turbulent periods in Indian democratic history, overseeing the elections post-Emergency. His retirement marked the end of a pivotal phase for the Commission, during which it had to prove its absolute independence and commitment to fair polls.

Dr. Nagendra Singh Retired

From Date	:	October 1st, 1972
To Date	:	February 6th, 1973
Remarks	:	He left the Election Commission prematurely to assume a highly prestigious role as a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. This career transition was a testament to his exceptional legal acumen and international reputation, cutting his time as CEC relatively short.

Shyam Prasanna Sen Verma Retired

From Date	:	October 1st, 1967
To Date	:	September 30th, 1972
Remarks	:	The conclusion of his term arrived in 1972 after steering the Election Commission through the crucial 1971 general elections. He retired leaving behind a legacy of maintaining electoral integrity during a period of significant political transition in the Indian parliamentary landscape.

Kalyan Vaidyanathan Kuttur Sundaram Retired

From Date	:	December 20th, 1958
To Date	:	September 30th, 1967
Remarks	:	His long and distinguished tenure came to a natural end after he effectively guided the Election Commission through the third general elections of the country. He stepped down after establishing a solid framework for electoral administration and subsequently continued to serve the nation in various other legal and advisory capacities.

Sukumar Sen Retired

From Date	:	March 21st, 1950
To Date	:	December 19th, 1958
Remarks	:	He successfully concluded his mandated tenure after overseeing India's first two general elections, which were monumental tasks given the massive scale and high illiteracy rates. His departure from the Election Commission was followed by his appointment to organize the electoral system in Sudan, marking him as a global expert in post-colonial democratic management.