New Delhi: Former Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar, who was appointed as Election Commissioner on Friday following the resignation of Ashok Lavasa, will take charge of the office on September 1.
"The President is pleased to appoint Rajiv Kumar, IAS (retd) (JH:1984) as the Election Commissioner with effect from the date he assumes the office vice Ashok Lavasa, Election Commissioner who has resigned with effect from August 31," a notification of Law Ministry said.
Kumar is a former IAS officer from Jharkhand cadre. Lavasa will take up the position of vice-president at the Asian Development Bank.
Read: President accepts Ashok Lavasa's resignation as election commissioner
Lavasa's term in the EC would have ended in October 2022 had he become the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
He became the second election commissioner to step down from the poll panel before the completion of his term. In 1973, CEC Nagendra Singh resigned after he was appointed a judge in the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
EC issues fresh guidelines in view of coronavirus
Meanwhile, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Election Commission of India has issued fresh guidelines for the conducting the elections. EC said that certain class of citizens with can use the postal ballot system in the light of the pandemic.
"The option of postal ballot facility has been extended to the electors who are marked as 'persons with disabilities', people above the age of 80 years, people employed in notified essential services and who are COVID-19 positive/possibly infected," ECI said in a press note.
"People should wear face masks during election-related activities. Thermal scanning of all persons shall be carried out. Sanitiser, soap and water shall be made available at the entry of hall, room, premises used for election purposes. Social distancing shall be maintained as per the extant COVID-19 guidelines of the state government and Ministry of Home Affairs," it stated further.
(With agency inputs)
