Sunil Arora takes over as Chief Election Commissioner, vows free and fair national poll

Sunil Arora, who was appointed by President Ram Nath Kovind, took over as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India on Sunday, replacing OP Rawat, who retired on Saturday.

"The Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun preparations for the coming Lok Sabha elections next year, which we are committed to conducting in a free and fair manner," Sunil Arora said.

"Our first and foremost priority is to give the country fair, credible, free, impartial and ethical elections," said Sunil Arora, while addressing the media persons at Nirvachan Sadan, the headquarters of ECI.

"For the Lok Sabha elections, we are making meticulous planning on all fronts including electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT). We will go for massive dissemination activities about elections and creating awareness among voters through our highly credible 'Sweep' programme," Arora further said.

Talking about the impact of social media on elections, Arora informed that the committee formed by the ECI to review various facets of Section 126 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 under senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha is likely to submit the report by December end.

"We will take corrective measures on the basis of the recommendations the committee makes," he added.

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A 1980 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, Sunil Arora, 62, is the senior most officer in the Election Commission. Before moving to the ECI, Arora was Information and Broadcasting Secretary, and Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. He also worked in different other ministries and departments such as Finance, Textiles and Planning Commission.

He also served as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation during 1999-2002 and CMD, Indian Airlines for five years (two years as an additional charge and three years as full charge).

In Rajasthan, besides district postings in Dholpur, Alwar, Nagaur and Jodhpur, he was Secretary to the Chief Minister during 1993-1998 and Principal Secretary to CM Vasundhara Raje (2005- 2008) and handled Information and Public Relations (IPR), Industries and Investment Departments.

READ: President Kovind Appoints Mr. Sunil Arora As New Chief Election Commissioner