Bhubaneswar, July 23: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday appointed Senior IAS officer R. Santhanagopalan as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha.
A notification in this regard was issued today.
“The Election Commission of India in consultation with the Government of Odisha hereby designates Shri R. Santhanagopalan, IAS, (OR:2001) as the Chief Electoral Officer for the State of Odisha with effect from the date he takes over charge and until further orders in place of Shri Nikunja Bihari Dhal,” the notification read.
He will succeed Nikunja Bihari Dhal, who currently serves as the Additional Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Mohan Majhi.
It is worth mentioning that Santhanagopalan, a 2001-batch Odisha cadre IAS officer, had earlier served as Secretary, Labour and ESI Department, after his return from central deputation in 2022.
