Bhubaneswar: Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal today approved the appointment of Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi as the State Election Commissioner.

He today submitted his Voluntary Retirement (VR) application to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. His tenure was to end on February, next year.

"I have urged the CM to accept my application. Instead of a 90-day notice period, I have sought approval to take charge as State Election Commissioner on August 19," he said.

Padhi, a 1983 batch IAS officer, was appointed as the Chief Secretary of Odisha in November, 2015.

The bureaucrat was also serving as Chief Development Commissioner and Chairman of Odisha State Pollution Control Board.

During his tenure as the Chief Secretary of Odisha, he had played major role in organising ‘Make in Odisha’ conclaves, Single Window Portal for facilitating investments in the state and hosting the Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneswar.