OP Rawat to be next Chief Election Commissioner, to succeed AK Joti

The government on Sunday appointed Om Prakash Rawat as the next Chief Election Commissioner. He will succeed Achal Kumar Joti whose term comes to an end tomorrow. According to the Union Law Ministry, former Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa has been made an Election Commissioner.

Rawat, a 1977-batch IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre, was appointed to the Election Commission in August 2015. During his three-decade-long career, Rawat has served at various levels, both at state and Centre.

Prior to his appointment to Election Commission, Rawat had served as Secretary at Department of Public Enterprises in the Ministry of Heavy Industries from April, 2012 till December 31, 2013 when he retired. In his first stint at Centre in 1993, he served as Director/Jt. Secretary in the Defence Ministry. 

Besides serving in Defence and Heavy Industries ministries, Rawat was Principal Secretary to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister from August, 2004 to January, 2006.

He was deputed to South Africa in May, 1994 as United Nations election observer to oversee first post-apartheid elections in the country.

Born on December 2, 1953, Rawat has a masters degree in Physics from Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi.