The government of India, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has appointed J&K's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Hirdesh Kumar as the Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India.
His appointment has been made for a period of five years or until further orders.
He will replace Umesh Sinha, an IAS officers of 1986 batch of Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Hirdesh Kumar is an IAS officer of 1999 batch of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir cadre, now AGMUT.
An order for appointment of Hirdesh Kumar as Deputy Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India, was issued on Saturday.
Mr. Kumar recently spurted a controversy in Jammu and Kashmir by announcing that non-locals including employees, students, labourers, paramilitary forces or anyone from outside J&K who is living ordinarily in the (Union Territory) can enlist his or her name in the voting list.
After the abrogation of Article 370, (limited autonomy of J&K within the Indian Constitution) many people who were not enlisted as voters in the erstwhile State of J&K are now eligible to vote, he had said.
DIPR (Department of Information and Public relation) later made a clarification stating that the enroll will cover the existing resident of the region and limited to the youth who attained the age of 18.
The announcement triggered outrage among all the political parties in J&K, with PAGD chairing another all party meet in Jammu soon.