Who is Sunil Arora? India’s next chief election commissioner

New Delhi: Sunil Arora has been appointed as the next chief election commissioner by President Ram Nath Kovind. A formal notification announcing his appointment is yet to be issued but Arora’s name has been cleared by the Centre. Arora, who is currently election commissioner, will be responsible for conducting upcoming assembly elections in five states and the 2019 general elections. He will take over as the new CEC on December 2, 2018. The new CEC will have his job cut out to persuade opposition parties, which have gone all guns blazing over the use of EVMs in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Arora assumed charge as election commissioner on 1st September 2017. A former bureaucrat, Arora was appointed as election commissioner on August 31, 2017. He succeeds Om Prakash Rawat, who retired on Saturday.

Arora (62) had been information and broadcasting secretary and secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

A 1980-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Arora has worked in ministries such as finance, textiles and the 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 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 the CM (2005-2008), besides handling the information and public relations (IPR), industries and investment departments.

Before becoming an IAS officer, Arora worked as associate professor at DAV College in Jalandhar, Punjab.