Arun Goel
Arun Goel is an Indian diplomat and former IAS officer who is has served as Indian Ambassador to Croatia since 3 October 2024. He was previously an Election Commissioner of India from 2022 to 2024.
Education
Goel completed his Msc in mathematics from Punjabi University and a master's degree in development economics from Churchill College, Cambridge.Career
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.On 19 November 2022, he was appointed as Election Commissioner of India and assumed charge on 21 November 2022. His appointment has been challenged in the Indian Supreme Court due to procedural concerns but was given clearance on 3 August 2023. Thereafter, on 9 March 2024 he resigned from the post for personal reasons.
On 9 March 2024, Goel tendered his resignation from the position of Election Commissioner of India, which was accepted by the President. 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. 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.