OM PRAKASH RAWAT APPOINTED CHIEF ELECTION COMMISSIONER

on
Two rather major developments took place at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 21. One was the upholding of the Election Commission’s recommendation of disqualifying 20 AAP MLAs for holding ‘Office of Profit’ and the other was the appointment of Om Prakash Rawat as the new Chief Election Commissioner succeeding Achal Kumar Joti.

 Kovind also appointed former Union Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa as an Election Commissioner.

Rawat will take the charge on Tuesday after Joti demits office on Monday.

A 1977-batch IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre who had been serving as Union Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Secretary when he retired in 2013, Rawat was appointed as Election Commissioner in August 2015.

Lavasa will also take charge on Tuesday, joining Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, a 1980-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre and former Information and Broadcasting Secretary, who was appointed in September 2017.