Om Prakash Rawat has been appointed as the next Chief Election Commissioner. Mr Rawat, who is currently an Election Commissioner, will succeed the outgoing Achal Kumar Joti, who is retiring 22 January, 2018.
Ashok Lavasa, a former finance secretary and an Indian Administrative Service officer of the 1980 batch, has been appointed as an Election Commissioner, to fill up the vacancy left behind by Mr Rawat in the three-member poll panel. Sunil Arora is currently the other Election Commissioner.
Om Prakash Rawat, a retired IAS officer of the 1977 batch, has previously served as joint secretary in the Ministry of Defence and many other key positions in the union and Madhya Pradesh governments.
A Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer, Mr Rawat served as secretary, Department of Public Enterprises in the Ministry of Heavy Industries.
He had also served as principal secretary to Babu Lal Gaur, the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh between 2004 and 2006.
Mr Rawat has a post graduate degree in Social Development Planning from the United Kingdom, completed in 1989, and has been a recipient of the Madhya Pradesh Award for recognition of forest rights in 2009.
Also Check: List of Chief Election Commissioners of India Since 1950 to 2018
He was appointed as an Election Commissioner in August 2015. He will be the 22nd Chief Election Commissioner of India.
Achal Kumar Joti, who is retiring from his post tomorrow, was the Chief Election Commissioner since June 2017.
