New Delhi: Arun Goel, a member of the Election Commission, has resigned on March 9, just days before the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule. His tenure was slated to continue till 2027.Goel’s resignation, effective March 9, was accepted by President Droupadi Murmu, leaving the Election Commission with only one member, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar. Election Commission Anup Chandra retired last month in February.
Goel, a retired bureaucrat and a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, joined the Election Commission on November 21, 2022.
His departure comes amid crucial preparations for the upcoming polls, with the Commission inspecting States and Union Territories for readiness. The Commission was slated to visit Jammu and Kashmir from March 11 to March 13.
Goel, who previously served as Secretary of the Ministry of Heavy Industry after over 37 years of service, hails from Patiala, Punjab. He holds a postgraduate degree in development economics from Churchill College, University of Cambridge, England, and received training at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA.
Throughout his career, he held various key positions, including Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Vice-Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority, Additional Secretary and Financial Adviser of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Joint Secretary of the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance.
