VS Sampath takes over as new chief election commissioner

Seniormost election commissioner VS Sampath on Wednesday was appointed the chief election commissioner ahead of the President's election. President Pratibha Patil cleared his appointment in the evening.

Sampath, a 1973 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, will take over after SY Quraishi's term as the CEC ends on June 10.

A low-profile and soft-spoken bureaucrat, will steer the EC during 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He will be in office till January 2015. An EC or the CEC can remain in office for six years or till he is 65, whichever is earlier. The Centre stuck to convention and appointed the seniormost election commissioner in the EC as the CEC despite LK Advani's suggestion for a collegium to choose the CEC.


Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath joined the EC as election commissioner on April 21, 2009 after N Gopalaswami demitted office. Before that, he worked as finance secretary and power secretary in the AP government. His stint at the Centre began in the rural development ministry in 2005 followed by chemicals and petrochemicals secretary. He served as power secretary at the Centre before joining the EC.

With Sampath's appointment as CEC, H S Brahma is next in seniority in the EC. Brahma was appointed in August 2010 after Quraishi was appointed CEC in July 2010. The EC's post lay vacant for about a month.

With the crucial president's poll looming, the Centre is expected to name the election commissioner to the three-member poll body soon.