New Delhi: Retired IAS Arun Goel has been appointed as an Election Commissioner of India. According to a Law Ministry press the President Murmu is pleased to appoint Shri Arun Goel, IAS (Retd.) as the Election Commissioner in the Election Commission with effect from the date he assumes the office. The third post in the country’s top poll body has been vacant for nearly six months.

He is a Punjab cadre IAS officer of the 1985 batch will join Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey in the poll panel. The poll panel will have its full strength when it decides the election schedule for Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura and Karnataka in the coming months.

He was the heavy industries secretary and has also served in the Union Culture ministry. He was to retire on December 31^st, 2022, but his voluntary retirement came into effect on November 18^th. Once he takes up the post, Goel will be in line to be the next Chief Election Commissioner after Rajiv Kumar demits office in February 2025.

According to the law dealing with appointment, service conditions and retirement of election commissioners, a person can hold the office of an EC or CEC for six years or till the age of 65, whichever is earlier. He will be in office till December 2027.