On Sunday, Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat was appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner. President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Rawat to succeed Achal Kumar Joti.
Joti will demit office today and Rawat will take office on Tuesday. President Kovind also appointed former Union Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa to take Rawat’s previous position. Om Prakash Rawat was a 1977 batch IAS officer from Madhya Pradesh cadre. He then served as the Union Heavy and Public Enterprises Secretary. Rawat was then later appointed to the Election Commission in August 2015.
After being appointed as Chief Election Commissioner Rawat said, “As chief election commissioner, my priority will be to have a continuity of delivering free, fair and credible elections through the engagement of all stakeholders and to build a consensus on poll reforms.”
Om Prakash Rawat’s tenure will complete in December 2018. Sources stated Arora who is the senior most Commissioner at the EC will take over as the New Chief Election Commissioner.
Achal Kumar Joti was appointed on the day the President accepted the Election Commission’s recommendation to disqualify 20 Aam Aadmi Party Legislators. The Legislators are being accused of holding office of profit.
