Sunil Arora took Charge as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of india on Sunday OP Rawat, who retired on Saturday.

"The Election Commission of India (ECI) has begun preparations for the coming Lok Sabha elections next year, which we are committed to conducting in a free and fair manner," he said. "Our first and foremost priority is to give the country fair, credible, free, impartial and ethical elections," said Arora, while addressing the media persons at Nirvachan Sadan, the headquarters of ECI. "For the Lok Sabha elections, we are making meticulous planning on all fronts including electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT). We will go for massive dissemination activities about elections and creating awareness among voters through our highly credible 'Sweep' programme," Arora further said.

Arora, speaking  about the impact of social media on elections, informed that the committee formed by the ECI to review various facets of Section 126 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 under senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha is likely to submit the report by December end .

"We will take corrective measures on the basis of the recommendations the committee makes," he added.

A 1980-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, Arora was the skill development secretary before he was appointed as the top bureaucrat in the I&B Ministry. He has also worked in ministries and departments such as Finance, Textiles and Planning Commission and was also CMD of Indian Airlines for five years.

Back in his home state, Arora was one of the most trusted officers of Vasundhara Raje during her earlier term as Rajasthan Chief Minister. He was her principal secretary from 2005 to 2008.

(Featured image : India TV)