Mr. V S Sampath has taken over as 18th Chief Election Commissioner of India today. A 1973 batch IAS officer, 62-year-old Sampath has succeeded SY Quraishi, who demitted office at the end of his six-year tenure yesterday. Mr Sampath will preside over the next Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

A low-profile bureaucrat, who has had stints in various capacities in Andhra Pradesh and Delhi, Mr Sampath was Power Secretary at the Centre before he was appointed Election Commissioner in April, 2009.

Born on January 16, 1950, Mr Sampath will be at the helm of the Commission till January, 2015 when he will turn 65.