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ECI bids farewell to Rajiv Kumar

Kumar had joined ECI as Election Commissioner on September 1, 2020 and assumed charge as the 25th CEC of India on May 15, 2022.

ECI bids farewell to Rajiv Kumar

Photo: ANI

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday bid farewell to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, who will be retiring on Tuesday.

Kumar had joined ECI as Election Commissioner on September 1, 2020 and assumed charge as the 25th CEC of India on May 15, 2022.

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His tenure, spanning 4.5 years, was characterized by silent yet deep-rooted reforms across various domains spanning structural, technological, capacity development, communication, international cooperation and administration.

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In his farewell address, Kumar expressed his gratitude to the 15 million polling officials for their dedication to uphold democratic values.

He asserted that the trust of close to nearly a billion voters is unfazed by motivated and uncorroborated attacks on India’s democratic institutions.

“India’s expertise in electoral management is one of the biggest soft power of the country. Casting doubt on outcomes after active and full participation in the process is undesirable,” the CEC said.

Kumar also outlined a path for strengthening conduct of elections while guarding against the threats of cyber-attacks and misinformation on social media.

He also lauded the voters for their vibrant participation especially women voters and said that the electoral process is marching towards more inclusivity.

Kumar also said it is high time that NRIs are empowered to vote from their locations.

The CEC also suggested that biometric authentication at polling booths should be tried to efficiently tackle impersonation.

Election Commissioners – Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu conveyed their appreciation for the inclusive, transformative and purpose driven leadership of Kumar, that has strengthened electoral processes and has raised India’s stature globally in the field of election management.

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