Will Ensure Peace in Assembly Polls: New CEC After Taking Charge

Sushil Chandra, who took charge as the 24th Chief Election Commissioner on Tuesday, 14 April, said that he would ensure that the ongoing Assembly elections in West Bengal are held in a very peaceful and fair manner, so that voters in even the vulnerable areas can cast their votes without any fear.

Sushil Chandra took over as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) with effect from Tuesday, 13 April, a day after incumbent CEC Sunil Arora demitted office. Chandra will demit the office on 14 May 2022.

"I would like to ensure that the elections (in the remaining phases in West Bengal) should be held in a very peaceful and very, very free and fair manner so that voters even in the vulnerable areas can cast their votes without any fear," Chandra was quoted as saying by PTI.

Also Read: Sushil Chandra assumes charge as Election Commissioner

Chandra also noted that the poll body is monitoring and talking to all the observers and officers on the ground. He said that an "atmosphere has to be created to ensure free and fair polls.”

Under him, the EC will hold Assembly polls in Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.

Who Is Sushil Chandra?

Sushil Chandra took charge as Election Commissioner of India on 15 February 2019. He belongs to the 1980 Batch of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS).

Prior to his appointment as Election Commissioner of India, Chandra was posted as the Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex body that looks after the implementation of direct taxes in India.

Chandra served in the IRS for 38 years before assuming charge as Election Commissioner of India.

Early Life

Sushil Chandra was born on 15 May 1957 and pursued his BTech from Roorkee University. He also holds an LLB degree from DAV College, Dehradun.

He underwent several trainings at International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Indian Institute Management (IIM), Bengaluru. Before joining IRS, he was in the Indian Engineering Service.

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Career & Achievements

Chandra has vast experience in various areas of taxation. He held several posts in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi.

Chandra specialised in the field of tax investigation where he spent considerable time as Director of Investigation and Director General of Investigation, Mumbai and Gujarat, respectively followed by his stint as member (investigation), CBDT.

During his tenure as Chairman, CBDT, he also led the unearthing of illegal money used during the Assembly elections. In a bid to promote transparency between India and Switzerland, he signed treaties for automatic exchange of information.

(With Inputs from PTI and Times of India)

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