Arun Goel | |
|---|---|
| Goel in 2024 | |
| Ambassador of India to Croatia | |
| Assumed office 3 October 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Raj Kumar Srivastava |
| Election Commissioner of India | |
| In office 19 November 2022 –9 March 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Rajiv Kumar |
| Succeeded by | Sukhbir Singh Sandhu |
| Secretary of Heavy Industry of India | |
| In office 30 December 2019 –18 November 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Asha Ram Sihag |
| Succeeded by | Kamran Rizvi |
| Secretary of Ministry of Culture | |
| In office 10 August 2018 –30 December 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Raghvendra Singh |
| Succeeded by | Anand Kumar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 December 1962 |
| Alma mater | Punjabi University Churchill College,Cambridge |
Arun Goel (born 7 December 1962) is an Indian diplomat and former IAS officer who is has served as Indian Ambassador to Croatia since 3 October 2024. [1] [2] He was previously an Election Commissioner of India from 2022 to 2024.
Goel completed his Msc in mathematics from Punjabi University and a master's degree in development economics from Churchill College,Cambridge. [3] [4] [5]
Goel served as the Culture Secretary of India from 2018 to 2019. He served as a secretary of Heavy Industry of India from December 2019 to November 2022. [6] [7]
On 19 November 2022,he was appointed as Election Commissioner of India and assumed charge on 21 November 2022. [8] [9] [10] [11] His appointment has been challenged in the Indian Supreme Court due to procedural concerns but was given clearance on 3 August 2023. [12] [13] [14] Thereafter,on 9 March 2024 he resigned from the post for personal reasons. [15] [16]
On 9 March 2024,Goel tendered his resignation from the position of Election Commissioner of India,which was accepted by the President. [17] His resignation came just before the announcement of the dates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,leaving Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar as the sole election commissioner. A normally three-member Election Commission already had a vacancy,whereas,his tenure was till 6 December 2027.
He was appointed the Indian Ambassador to Croatia on 3 October 2024. [1] [2] The Indian embassy in Zagreb was vandalized by Sikh separatists in 2026,naming Goel as part of broader Indo-European efforts to deny their movement. [18]