Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi is new CEC of India

By Khabrein.Info Correspondent,

President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday appointed Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi as the new Chief Election Commissioner of India.

He will succeed Navin Chawla, who retires on Thursday. Quraishi was one of the two Election Commissioners. He will take over as the CEC on July 30 and remain on this post till June 10, 2012.

Born on June 11, 1947 in Delhi, Quraishi is a post-graduate in history from St Stephen’s College here. He did his Ph D in Communication and Social Marketing.

He became Electon Commissioner on June 30, 2006 after serving 35 years as civil servant. Before joining Election Commission he was Union Secretary, Youth Affairs and Sports. He also served as Director-General, Doordarshan (National Television Network), Special Secretary in the Union Health Ministry, Director General of National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) and Power Secretary of the Haryana government.

As the CEC his immediate job will be conducting assembly elections in Bihar later this year to be followed by polls in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Assam next year.

The government is likely to announce the name of new Election Commissioner within a couple of days. Reports suggest that the government is likely to appoint a woman in the place vacated by Quarishi. V S Sampath is another Election Commissioner of the three-member Election Commission.