Zaidi to be next CEC

Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi is set to become the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India later this month. The Law Ministry has initiated the file to appoint the next CEC as present incumbent H S Brahma retires on April 19. Highly-placed sources in the government on Wednesday said that the Law Ministry has cited convention of appointing the senior-most EC as the CEC. Since PM Narendra Modi is leaving on a foreign tour on Thursday, there is sense of urgency to clear the paperwork on Wednesday as the file will travel to Rashtrapati Bhawan for the President to appoint the CEC. After Zaidi’s appointment, the government will set in motion the process to appoint two Election Commissioners to fill vacancies in the three-member body. “But as of now, we are appointing a new CEC. A decision on ECs will come later,” an official said.