The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Friday, November 8, appointed Archana Patnaik as the new Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Tamil Nadu. CEOs are representatives of the ECI and are bound to supervise all elections within their state/union territory. 

Archana Patnaik will be succeeding Satyabrata Sahoo. 

Satyabrata has been posted as Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying, FIsheries and Fishermen Welfare. Meanwhile, Archana has been transferred from the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) department. The ECI said that Archana Patnaik will hand over all or any charges of work under the Government of Tamil Nadu and assume office as the CEO of the state. 

Tamil Nadu will next hold polling for its Assembly seats in 2026.