Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and his colleague Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar have tested positive for COVID-19. Sushil Chandra took charge as the 24th CEC after the retirement of Sunil Arora.
Both the election officers have been detected with the virus when the country is witnessing a massive surge in COVID-19 cases.
With the exit of Sunil Arora, it is only a two-person bench at the Election Commission as the third spot is yet to be filled. Sushil Chandra assumed office as the CEC last week, the day Sunil Arora demitted office.
Chandra was appointed as an election commissioner on February 14, 2019, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He would demit office on May 14, 2022.
Under him, the Election Commission (EC) will hold assembly polls in Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, reported India Today.
The term of the assemblies of Goa, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Punjab ends on various dates in March next year.
The term of the Uttar Pradesh assembly ends on May 14 next year. Chandra belongs to the 1980 batch of the Indian Revenue Service.