S Y Quraishi is new Chief Election Commissioner of India
Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi will succeed Navin Chawla as the new Chief Election Commissioner of India. He will take charge on July 30, when Chawla officially retires.
The 63-year-old, 1971 batch IAS officer was appointed new CEC on Tuesday by President Pratibha Patil as the senior-most Election Commissioner of the three-member Election Commission. Qureshi, who has already served as EC for more than four years, will have a little more than two years as CEC. He is also the first Muslim to be appointed CEC.
The Centre may appoint a woman IAS officer in Quraishi’s place as one of the other two Election Commissioners. V S Sampath, a 1973 batch officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, is the other EC.
