V.S. Sampath is appointed CEC
Leader of the Opposition Ajay Bhatt and BJP MLAs stage a dharna at the Vidhan Sabha in Dehra dun on Wednesday
The decks for V.S. Sampath to take over as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) were cleared by the government with President Pratibha Patil affixing her assent to the concerned file.
With this move, the ruling dispensation has sent a clear message that it does not intend to tamper with the regular practice of appointing the senior most election commissioner as the CEC.
He is set to take over on June 10 when the incumbent Dr S.Y. Qureshi retires.
It is to be noted that Bharatiya Janata Party patriarch L.K. Advani had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding that a collegium be formed to decide on the CEC, Comptroller and Auditor-General and the Chief Information Commissioner on the lines of the selection of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC).
This suggestion was also backed by the Congress’ ally, namely the DMK.
Mr V.S. Sampath, a 1973-batch officer IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh, hails from Tamil Nadu. He was the power secretary before being catapulted to Nirvachan Sadan in 2009. He will occupy the coveted post till January 2015.
With a series of state Assembly polls lined up for this year and 2013, the Election Commission under him would have its hands full.
Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh are slated for elections later this year. Next year, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will witness the election for new assemblies.
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