Sunil Arora


Sunil Arora is the current and 23rd Chief Election Commissioner of India. He is also the chairman for Association of World Election Bodies. He is a retired 1980 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Rajasthan cadre. He also served as a secretary to the Government of India in two ministries.

Personal life

Arora's father is a retired accounts officer of the Indian Railways, whereas his mother served in DAV College, Hoshiarpur. Of his two brothers, one is also an IAS officer, whereas, the other is a diplomat from the Indian Foreign Service.

Education

Arora has graduate and postgraduate degrees in English from Panjab University in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

Career

Before IAS

Before being appointed as an IAS officer, Sunil Arora served as an associate professor in DAV College in Jalandhar.

As an IAS officer

As an IAS officer, Arora served in various key positions for both the Government of India and the Government of Rajasthan, including as the Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Principal Secretary, Chairman and managing director of the Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, and as the district magistrate and collector of Jodhpur, Nagaur, Alwar and Dholpur districts in the Rajasthan Government, and as the Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary, Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Secretary, chairperson and managing director of the Indian Airlines, and as a joint secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the Indian government.
Arora superannuated from service on 30 April 2016. Post retirement, Arora was appointed the director general and chief executive officer of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, and hence was deemed to have been re-employed into the IAS.

Election Commissioner of India

Arora assumed office as one of the two Election Commissioners of India on 31 August 2017, Arora assumed the office of Election Commissioner on 1 September 2017. On 26 November 2018, it was announced that Arora would become the Chief Election Commissioner in December 2018, succeeding Om Prakash Rawat.

Citations