Seven Candidates Shortlisted For Top Job
New Delhi, September 6, 2026: Seven candidates shortlisted for the top position at state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation are expected to appear before a search-cum-selection committee this week as the government moves ahead with choosing a successor to Chairman and Managing Director Arun Kumar Singh.
The second round of interviews follows the screening of 18 applicants on August 18. Oil India Chairman and Managing Director Ranjit Rath is among the shortlisted candidates and is considered a leading contender for the position.
Rath, 54, had also applied for the ONGC position last year but the government chose to extend Singh’s tenure. Other shortlisted candidates include ONGC Videsh Managing Director Rajarshi Gupta, ONGC Director Vikram Saxena, ONGC Director Satyam Kumar, OVL Director Dulal Halder, MRPL Director Devendra Kumar and Indian Oil Corporation Director SP Shrivastava.
The selection process has attracted attention following a one-off relaxation in the age eligibility rules. The government allowed candidates up to 59 years of age to apply, compared with the previous upper limit of 58 years for internal candidates and 57 years for external candidates.
Questions have also emerged over Gupta’s eligibility because he would be around 59 years and five months old on December 7, when the vacancy is scheduled to arise. The appointment process could face challenges if candidates who were excluded because of the age limit contest the eventual selection.
The three-member search-cum-selection committee comprises the chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board, the oil secretary and a former Indian Oil chairman serving as an outside expert.
The government has also modified educational eligibility requirements, allowing qualified first-class graduates in engineering, chartered accountancy or cost accountancy, along with certain postgraduate and MBA qualifications.
The next ONGC chairman will be responsible for the strategic direction of India’s largest oil and gas producer, including exploration and production, profitability, new-energy expansion, petrochemicals, acquisitions, joint ventures and technology adoption.
