New CEC Sunil Arora says LS election work has begun

New Delhi: Taking over as the new chief election commissioner, Sunil Arora on Sunday sought cooperation of political parties and people to make elections “totally free, fair and ethical” and signalled that the poll panel has begun preparations for parliamentary polls in 2019.

The 62-year-old former bureaucrat, who is the 23rd CEC and succeeds O.P. Rawat who demitted office on Saturday, will conduct the Lok Sabha elections expected around May.

Highlighting that the EC has started internal preparations for the 2019 general elections, Mr Arora said, “We will ensure voting rights for our soldiers and persons with disability. We will give the country a fair, free, credible, impartial and ethical elections.”

“All of us in the commission will put our best foot forward to meet expectations of all stakeholders under the purview of Constitution of India,” he said.

Besides the parliamentary polls, the 2019 Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim will also be held during Mr Arora’s tenure that will last up to April 12, 2021.

After assuming charges, the new CEC sought cooperation from all  stakeholders — political parties, media, civil society organisations and people at large — “in making elections totally free, fair, peaceful, accessible and ethical”.

Mr Arora was appointed as an election commissioner on August 31, 2017. He had earlier served as secretary in ministry of information and broadcasting and ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship.

A 1980-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Mr Arora has also worked in finance and textiles ministries and Planning Commission.

He served as joint secretary in the ministry of civil aviation between 1999-2002 and chairman and managing director, Indian Airlines, for five years.

In Rajasthan, besides district postings in Dholpur, Alwar, Nagaur and Jodhpur, he was secretary to the chief minister from 1993-1998.

A CEC or an election commissioner can have a tenure of six years or hold office till the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier. The convention is to appoint the senior-most election commissioner as the CEC. Ashok Lavasa is the other election commissioner in the poll panel.