New Delhi: Election Commissioner Navin Chawla will take over as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on 20 April, succeeding N. Gopalaswami who will retire on that day.
New horizons: Navin Chawla. Harikrishna Katragadda / Mint
Chawla, an IAS officer of the 1969 batch, will hold charge till 29 July, 2010 when he will attain the age of 65 years.
“The President has approved the appointment of Navin Chawla as the Chief Election Commissioner with effect from 20 April on completion of the tenure of N. Gopalaswami,” a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique said.
Chawla, who will be taking over in the midst of the five-phased Lok Sabha elections, will oversee four phases of the polls.
The elevation of Chawla, who was appointed as Election Commissioner on 13 May,2005, comes after a controversy triggered by Gopalaswami’s recommendation to the President for his removal from office for alleged ‘partisan’ functioning.