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Polity & Governance

Election Commission of India

The constitutional body under Article 324 that runs elections to Parliament, state legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President; exams ask about its members, appointment law and removal.

Pareto Academy · updated 26 October 2026

At a glance

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a permanent constitutional body that superintends, directs and controls elections to Parliament, state legislatures and the offices of the President and Vice-President. It is a three-member body: the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commissioners (ECs). Panchayat and municipal elections are run separately by State Election Commissions.

Key facts

  • Constitutional provision: Article 324 (Part XV, Articles 324–329)
  • Set up: 25 January 1950 (marked as National Voters' Day)
  • HQ: Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi
  • Chief Election Commissioner: Gyanesh Kumar (26th CEC, since February 2025)
  • Election Commissioners: Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi
  • Multi-member since: 1 October 1993 (briefly in 1989–90)
  • Appointment law: Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023
  • Term: 6 years or until age 65, whichever is earlier
  • Deputy Election Commissioner (secretariat): Prakash Rajpurohit, appointed 10 October 2026

How it works

Appointment (2023 Act):

  • A Search Committee headed by the Law Minister prepares a panel of names.
  • A Selection Committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha (or leader of the largest opposition party) and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM recommends a name.
  • The President appoints.
  • The Act replaced the interim arrangement from the Supreme Court's Anoop Baranwal judgment (March 2023), which had put the Chief Justice of India on the panel.

Removal:

  • CEC: only like a Supreme Court judge (address by both Houses on proved misbehaviour or incapacity), Article 324(5).
  • ECs: by the President on the recommendation of the CEC.

Functions: preparing electoral rolls, registering and recognising parties, allotting symbols, enforcing the Model Code of Conduct, and advising the President/Governor on disqualification of legislators.

Secretariat: Deputy Election Commissioners, Directors General and the Secretary-General are officers who assist the Commission; they are not members.

Timeline

  • 1950: ECI set up (25 January)
  • 1989: Two additional ECs appointed briefly
  • 1993: Commission made permanently multi-member (1 October)
  • 2023: Anoop Baranwal judgment (March); new appointment Act (December)
  • 2025: Gyanesh Kumar becomes CEC

Recent developments

  • 10 Oct 2026: Prakash Rajpurohit, a 2010-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, was appointed Deputy Election Commissioner until 8 April 2030, replacing Sanjay Kumar.

Exam traps

  • The CEC and ECs are members; Deputy ECs are secretariat officers, not members.
  • The Constitution does not fix the number of ECs; the President decides it.
  • The CEC's removal protection does not extend to ECs, who are removed on the CEC's recommendation.
  • The ECI does not conduct panchayat and municipal polls (State Election Commissions, Articles 243K and 243ZA).
  • The Chief Justice of India is not on the selection committee under the 2023 Act.

Quick check

  • Q: Which Article sets up the Election Commission? A: Article 324.
  • Q: Who is the Chief Election Commissioner as of October 2026? A: Gyanesh Kumar.
  • Q: Who appoints the CEC on the selection committee's recommendation? A: The President.

Further reading

Sources

In the news

Every time this topic has appeared in our current affairs, newest first:

  1. Week of 8–14 October 2026Prakash Rajpurohit appointed Deputy Election Commissioner