Former IAS officer Anup Chandra Pandey appointed as EC

New Delhi, June 08: Former Uttar Pradesh-cadre IAS officer Anup Chandra Pandey was appointed as an election commissioner on Tuesday.

The legislative department in the law ministry said the president is pleased to appoint Pandey, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1984 batch, as an election commissioner with effect from the date he assumes office.

There was a vacancy in the poll panel. Sunil Arora demitted office as the chief election commissioner (CEC) on April 12.

While Sushil Chandra is the CEC, Rajiv Kumar is the other election commissioner. While Sushil Chandra is the CEC, Rajiv Kumar is the other election commissioner. Pandey (62) will demit office in February 2024 on attaining the age of 65 years, according to the age criteria guiding the election commissioners.

The next Lok Sabha polls could be announced sometime in March 2024. The next parliamentary polls could be held under the watch of Kumar. Born on February 15, 1959, Pandey has held several key positions, including that of the chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh.

The 1984 batch IAS officer was handpicked by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to head the state bureaucracy on 28 June, 2018.

The poll panel will have its full strength of three members when Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand go to polls early next year.

Former Chief Election Commissioner of India SY Quraishi took to Twitter to congratulate Pandey.

"Congratulations Anup Chandra PANDEY for your appointment as Election Commissioner of India. Wish you a successful tenure. May you live up to the nation's trust," he wrote.