President Droupadi Murmu named retired IAS Arun Goel to the position of Election Commissioner in the Election Commission on November 19, effective as of the date he takes the position.
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A Punjab cadre officer of the 1985 batch, Goel will join Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in the poll panel. His appointment was announced by the government in a press statement.
Sushil Chandra retired as the chief election commissioner in May this year after which Rajiv Kumar took charge as India’s 25th Chief Election Commissioner on May 15, 2022.
“The President is pleased to appoint Shri Arun Goel, IAS (Retd.) (PB: 1985) as the Election Commissioner in the Election Commission with effect from the date he assumes the office,” the government statement read.
Gujarat has scheduled its assembly elections on December 1 through December 5. On December 8, the results of earlier this month’s elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh will be announced.
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Goel was scheduled to retire on December 31, 2022, when he would have turned 60 years old. Goel will be replaced as Secretary by Kamran Rizvi, who was appointed last month as the Officer on Special Duty in the Heavy Industries Ministry.
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According to the order issued on Friday by the Personnel Ministry, Rizvi, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre from the 1991 batch, “Will take over as Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries vice Shri Arun Goel, IAS (PB:85) upon his voluntary retirement on 18.11.2022,” without citing any additional information.
