Newsmaker: Nasim Zaidi

Bihar elections: Litmus test for Nasim Zaidi

Around two years earlier, Nasim Zaidi was appointed as one of the three commissioners in the Election Commission. He would quietly sit next to his seniors, now retired chief election commissioners (CECs) V S Sampath and H S Brahma during press briefings to announce the poll dates for various state assemblies and the 2014 general elections.

His job was to assist the CEC in preparation, conduct and declaration of poll results. The most important task, however, was to decide with the other two what constituted the model code of conduct and the major policy decisions the incumbent government could take during Lok Sabha elections. Among many such decisions were allowing the Reserve Bank of India to name two more banking licensees and denying permission for then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi to hold a rally in Varanasi.

Since his joining the EC on August 7, 2012, Zaidi has been part of 20 state assembly elections. He assumed charge as CEC on April 19 this year, after the retirements of Sampath and Brahma.

Now, as CEC, the big task before Zaidi is to conduct "free and fair" Bihar elections, usually marred with use of force and money, in September-October. And, then, the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in early 2017. Bihar has 243 assembly seats while Uttar Pradesh has 403.

Zaidi, 63, will hold his current post till July 2017, when he turns 65. In the next two years Zaidi, a 1976-batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, is expected to use his skills and expertise on election reforms. He has participated in conferences on democracy and elections in Mauritius, UK (Cambridge University) and Nepal.

More than his present, Zaidi is known for his past career. He has spent much time in the aviation sector, in the capacity of civil aviation secretary, director general of civil aviation and India's representative on the council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, from November 2005 to October 2008. Also, briefly, as chairman of Airports Authority of India. He has also authored a book titled Green Aviation-2013.

"He is credited with formulating the financial restructuring and turnaround plan of Air India and also setting up the Dharmadhikari committee to ensure the merger process of AI," the EC website notes.

"He contributed actively in formulation of a report of the task force to facilitate flow of investment of the order of Rs 70,000 crore in the airport sector during the 12th Five Year Plan through the PPP route," it adds.

If he has earned credit for his work, there has been criticism, too. His name was dragged into a vigilance inquiry related to appointment of a senior officer in the DGCA.

Zaidi has a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and has been a Mason Fellow for Public Policy at Harvard Institute for International Development. He has a postgraduate diploma in business finance from Indian Institute of Finance and holds a doctorate in biochemistry.