Agencies

New Delhi, March 16:

IAS officer Hirdesh Kumar was on Monday appointed the new chief electoral officer of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Election Commission appointed Kumar as the new CEO replacing Shailendra Kumar.

Hirdesh Kumar, a 1999-batch IAS officer of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre, was selected from a panel of names sent by the J-K administration to the EC.

The Commission on Monday issued a notification announcing the appointment of Hirdesh Kumar and asked the Jammu and Kashmir administration to ensure that the new CEO takes charge “immediately”.

Sources in the poll panel said the Jammu and Kashmir administration had requested the EC to allow Shailendra Kumar to be deployed for another assignment.