Sunil Arora Takes Over as New Chief Election Commissioner, to Assume Charge on Dec 2: Sources
Sunil Arora will replace outgoing CEC OP Rawat, who is set to retire this week.
File photo of Sunil Arora.
New Delhi: Sunil Arora has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner by President Ram Nath Kovind, according to the sources. He will take charge on December 2.
He will replace outgoing CEC OP Rawat, who is set to retire this week. Arora assumes charge at a time when the poll panel is in the midst of conducting assembly elections in five states.
Though a formal notification announcing his appointment is yet to be issued, his name has been cleared by the Centre and sent to Rashtrapati Bhawan, the sources said.
"Yes. His name has been cleared. He is the next CEC. A notification will follow," a senior functionary said. The Election Commission will hold the 2019 general election under him.
Besides the Lok Sabha polls, Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are scheduled to be held next year.
A CEC of the Election Commission can have a tenure of six years or hold office till the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. The convention is to appoint the senior-most election commissioner as chief election commissioner.
A former bureaucrat, Arora was appointed as election commissioner on August 31, 2017. He succeds Om Prakash Rawat who retires on Saturday.
Arora, 62, had been the information and broadcasting secretary, and the secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
A 1980-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Arora has worked in ministries such as finance, textiles and the Planning Commission.
He also served as joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation during 1999-2002 and the CMD, Indian Airlines, for five years — two years as additional charge and three years as full charge.
In Rajasthan, besides district postings in Dholpur, Alwar, Nagaur and Jodhpur, he was secretary to the chief minister during 1993-1998 and principal secretary to CM (2005-2008), besides handling information and public relations (IPR), Industries and Investment Departments.
(With PTI inputs)
He will replace outgoing CEC OP Rawat, who is set to retire this week. Arora assumes charge at a time when the poll panel is in the midst of conducting assembly elections in five states.
Though a formal notification announcing his appointment is yet to be issued, his name has been cleared by the Centre and sent to Rashtrapati Bhawan, the sources said.
"Yes. His name has been cleared. He is the next CEC. A notification will follow," a senior functionary said. The Election Commission will hold the 2019 general election under him.
Besides the Lok Sabha polls, Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim are scheduled to be held next year.
A CEC of the Election Commission can have a tenure of six years or hold office till the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. The convention is to appoint the senior-most election commissioner as chief election commissioner.
A former bureaucrat, Arora was appointed as election commissioner on August 31, 2017. He succeds Om Prakash Rawat who retires on Saturday.
Arora, 62, had been the information and broadcasting secretary, and the secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
A 1980-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Arora has worked in ministries such as finance, textiles and the Planning Commission.
He also served as joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation during 1999-2002 and the CMD, Indian Airlines, for five years — two years as additional charge and three years as full charge.
In Rajasthan, besides district postings in Dholpur, Alwar, Nagaur and Jodhpur, he was secretary to the chief minister during 1993-1998 and principal secretary to CM (2005-2008), besides handling information and public relations (IPR), Industries and Investment Departments.
(With PTI inputs)