Bengaluru, Nov 16: Senior IAS officer Sanjiv Kumar, who is presently serving as the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, has been appointed Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka.
The development comes as the political parties have started preparations for the 2018 assembly polls in Karnataka.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) nominated Kumar on Thursday in consultation with the state government, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 13A of the Representation of People Act, 1950.
Kumar will replace IAS officer Anil Kumar Jha, who has been serving as the CEO for the last five years. A 1986 batch officer, Kumar is said to assume charge as CEO in a day or two.
According to sources, the change comes at the behest of Jha, who had requested for a transfer in the month of April. Following the request, the state government sent a list of three senior officers to the ECI, which zeroed in on Kumar.
Kumar told media persons that he was looking forward to taking up the new challenge. "It is going to be quite challenging. I will work without fear and favour, and ensure that the election laws are followed as it is. I will also work towards ensuring that the elections are conducted peacefully without any complaints. Six months is a sufficient time to prepare for the election," he said.
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