New Delhi: Election Commissioner (EC) Achal Kumar Joti was on July 4 appointed as the next chief election commissioner (CEC). He succeeds Nasim Zaidi.

Joti, 64, who was the chief secretary of Gujarat when Narendra Modi was chief minister, will take over as the head of EC on July 6, a notification issued by the law ministry said. Zaidi will demit office on July 5.

Joti, a 1975-batch IAS officer who joined the three-member commission as an election commissioner on May 8, 2015, will be in office till January 17, 2018. He retired as the Gujarat chief secretary in January 2013.

A CEC or an EC can have a tenure of six years or hold office till the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.

Joti, who will be the 21st CEC, has also served as the Gujarat Vigilance Commissioner and worked in various capacities in the state, including as the chairman of the Kandla Port Trust between 1999 and 2004 and the managing director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd.

He was also the secretary in the industry, revenue and water supply departments in the state.

The government is expected to appoint an election commissioner soon. Om Prakash Rawat is the other election commissioner.