Odisha Guv okays Padhi's name as State Election Commissioner

Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal on Wednesday approved the appointment of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi as the state election commissioner, Raj Bhavan sources said.

An official notification about his appointment in the new post is awaited.

The post of the state election commissioner is lying vacant after Naba Kumar Nayak's tenure expired last year.

Padhi, a 1983 batch IAS officer, has applied for voluntary retirement from the government service, the sources said.

Padhi has been officiating as the chief secretary of Odisha since November 30, 2015. He was scheduled to retire from government service in February, 2020.

Padhi joined the IAS after his Bachelors' degree in Economics & Communication Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

He has worked in the state government as well at the Centre in key departments like rural development, industries, urban development, finance, transport, home and chief minister's office as well.