Chennai Metro Water chairman Satyabrata Sahoo has been appointed as the State Chief Electoral Officer and would soon be taking over the reins of the State Election Commission from incumbent CEO Rajesh Lakhani.

Lakhani was appointed in 2015 as the State’s Chief Electoral Officer by the late chief-minister J. Jayalalithaa and supervised the successful conduct of Assembly polls in the following year when Jayalalithaa was voted to power for a second successive term albeit with a less margin.  He also supervised the Tirupparankundram, Aravakurichi and Thanjavur by-polls late in 2016 when Jayalalithaa had taken ill.

The much-awaited R.K. Nagar by-polls, which were supposed to be held last April, were cancelled and later held in December last year.  Lakhani also managed to peacefully conduct polling to elect the President and Vice-President of India.

Lakhani would continue as the CEO till such time when Sahoo hands over reins at Chennai Metro Water and arrives at the Election Commission’s Vadapalani Office in Chennai to take up his new assignment.