President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Senior-most Election Commissioner, Sushil Chandra as the 24th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He succeeds Sunil Arora whose tenure ended on 12th April 2021.Sushil Chandra will assume charge on April 13, 2021.His tenure will end on Mid 2022.
- He was appointed in pursuance of clause (2) of Article 324 of the Constitution of India.
- He will oversee the conduct of assembly polls in Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, which is set to end on 2022.
About Sushil Chandra:
- He is a 1980 batch Indian revenue service officer and he had worked in the areas of International taxation and investigation.
- Prior to the appointment , Sushil Chandra was serving as the Election Commissioner from February 15, 2019 after retiring as the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
Facts About Chief Election Commissioner(CEC):
CEC of India heads the Election Commission of India.
Tenure – Term length of CEC is 6 years or up to 65 years of age whichever is earlier.
Appointer- The CEC and other Election commissioners shall be appointed by the President of India. CEC shall be removed from office only on the like grounds of the Supreme Court Judge.
Election Commission(EC)-Election Commissioner Amendment Act, 1989 made the EC a multi-member body, which makes EC as 3 member Commission, 1 CEC and 2 Election Commissioners.
Current Election Commissioners-Sh. Rajiv Kumar, 1 Vacant Position (Because Sushil Chandra promoted as CEC).
About Election Commission of India:
It works under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Law and Justice.
Formation: 25 January 1950
Headquarters: New Delhi
