OdishaPlus Bureau
Odisha government Wednesday appointed Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi as the state election commissioner after his name was approved by Governor Ganeshi Lal. Padhi’s appointment as the next state election commissioner was notified by Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water department within hours of the governor giving his approval.
The 1983 batch IAS officer has also applied for voluntary retirement from the government service.
“I have urged the chief minister to accept my application for voluntary retirement. Instead of a 90-day notice period, I have sought approval to take charge as State Election Commissioner on August 19,” Padhi told reporters. The post of the state election commissioner is lying vacant after Naba Kumar Nayak’s tenure expired last year.
Apart from officiating as the Chief Secretary since November 30, 2015, Padhi was also serving as Chief Development Commissioner and Chairman of the State Pollution Control Board, Odisha. During his tenure as the Chief Secretary of Odisha, Padhi had successfully handled two major disasters like Cyclone Titli and Cyclone Fani and earned appreciation for the state from international agencies like the United Nations.
