Former Election Commissioner Arun Goel Appointed India’s Ambassador To Croatia

The government's decision to move Goel to the Indian mission in Zagreb marks the first political appointment to a diplomatic post in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a brief statement announced: “Shri Arun Goel has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Croatia. He is expected to assume the position shortly.”

Experts in the field of diplomacy believe that though Croatia is not critical to India's foreign policy, Goel's posting in Zagreb is important as it is located at the center of a sensitive region.

Goel will replace 1997-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Raj Kumar Srivastava, India’s incumbent representative to Croatia.

Goel assumed charge as the Election Commissioner on November 18, 2022 just a day after he took voluntary retirement from the administrative service.

However, less than two years later, Goel resigned on March 10, 2024. His resignation came just a month before the start of the first phase of voting for the 2024 general elections on April 19.

Sources in the power corridor say that he has been given the position as compensation for services he extended done in the past and the way he carried and conducted himself after his resignation from the Election Commission.

Goel’s tenure in the Election Commission was till December 5, 2027, and he would have become Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after incumbent Rajiv Kumar's retirement in February 2025.

Goel’s case appears to be similar to that of Ashok Lavasa, a retired Haryana cadre IAS officer of the 1980-batch, who had too had resigned abruptly. Lavasa was also accommodated by the government with a nomination for a key foreign position at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He joined the ADB as Vice-President for Private Sector Operations and Public-Private Partnerships.

Before moving to the Election Commission, Goel was heading the Ministry of Heavy Industry as its Secretary. He caught the attention of the top leadership of the government, while working as the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture between May 2018 and December 2019.

Goel is said to have showcased his talent by conceptualising ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, the Government of India's flagship campaign to celebrate 75 years of the country's independence.

During this tenure, he interacted with various important people closely associated with the RSS and its affiliates. He also pushed the idea of bringing up the contribution of unsung heroes of the Freedom Movement—which found favour with the top leadership in the government. Goel also worked to revamp museums and other institutions that are under the administrative control of the Ministry of Culture.

Officers who worked with Goel say that he is a “nice, soft-spoken and polite” officer who does not let anyone gauge what he's thinking, traits which are a must for a good diplomat.