Sunil Arora to be next CEC: Sources

NEW DELHI: Sunil Arora has been appointed the new Chief Election Commissioner by President Ram Nath Kovind, sources said on Monday. He will take over from OP Rawat on December 2.

A former bureaucrat, Arora was appointed to the election body in September last year.

Arora, 62, had been the Information and Broadcasting Secretary, and Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

A 1980 batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Arora has worked in ministries and departments such as Finance, Textiles and Planning Commission.

He also served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation during 1999-2002 and CMD, Indian Airlines for five years (two years as an 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) and handled Information and Public Relations (IPR), Industries and Investment Departments.

Arora takes over the office at a time when the poll panel is in the midst of conducting assembly elections in five states, which are being considered as a semi-final to the 2019 general elections.

In the past, a similar change during elections happened when Navin Chawla took over from N Gopalaswami during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.