Who will take over the reins of the country's largest oil company ONGC? Decision on 7 names soon

State-run oil and gas company Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) may soon get a new chairman and managing director. The term of the current chairman and MD Arun Kumar Singh is to end in December 2026. Earlier, the government has expedited the process of selecting his successor.

According to the information, after the initial screening of the candidates who have applied for this post, seven names have now moved forward in the selection process. These candidates can be interviewed in front of the search-cum-selection committee.

18 out of 7 candidates shortlisted

According to people associated with the selection process, a total of 18 candidates were screened on August 18. After this, seven candidates have been shortlisted for the second phase. Now the new head of ONGC will be selected from these candidates. In this race, Oil India Limited Chairman and Managing Director Ranjit Rath is considered to be among the leading contenders. The 54-year-old Rath is trying for the top post of ONGC for the second time. He had also applied for the post last year, but at that time the government had decided to extend the tenure of Arun Kumar Singh.

age limit

This time there is a lot of discussion about the age condition in the selection process for the post of chairman of ONGC. The government has changed the maximum age limit for once. Under this, candidates were given an opportunity to apply, whose age was not to be more than 59 years on the date of vacancy i.e. 7 December 2026. Generally, the maximum age limit has been stated to be 58 years for internal candidates and 57 years for external candidates. At the same time, the normal retirement age of officers in public sector companies is 60 years.

Rajarshi Gupta

Questions are being raised about the age limit due to the name of Rajarshi Gupta being among the shortlisted candidates. According to the information available, on December 7, 2026, his age will be around 59 years and five months. In such a situation, some people associated with the selection process believe that the candidates who did not apply due to the age limit may try to challenge the process if Gupta is appointed. However, this is a possible objection at the moment and the result of the selection process is yet to be revealed before the final appointment. The advertisement stated that the maximum age of the candidate should be 59 years on the date of vacancy. After this, service beyond 60 years or extension can be done under a separate arrangement.

A three-member committee will select

The new chairman and MD of ONGC will be selected by a three-member search-cum-selection committee. This includes the chairperson of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), the secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and a former chairman of Indian Oil as an external expert. The government has also changed the rules related to educational qualification during this process. According to the new provisions, the candidate must have a first-class graduation qualification with a degree in engineering, chartered accountancy or cost accountancy. Apart from this, candidates with qualifications like full-time MBA or PGDIM from a large institution can also be eligible.

Ranjit Rath considered a strong contender?

Ranjit Rath has been the chairman and MD of Oil India Limited since August 2022. Oil India is among the leading government oil and gas exploration and production companies in the country. His name has already surfaced for the top post of ONGC. Rath was not selected after applying last year as the government decided to give Arun Kumar Singh an additional one-year tenure. Now Singh's extended term is set to end in December 2026, so the search for a new head of ONGC has resumed.

ONGC before

The last few years have seen changes regarding the top leadership in ONGC. Between April 2021 and December 2022, the company did not have a full-time head and during this time three interim chairmen took over. In December 2022, Arun Kumar Singh took over as the chairman and MD of ONGC. Earlier, he had been the chairman and MD of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). At the time of his selection in the year 2022, there was also a special relaxation in the age limit. Last year, he was given another year of tenure, after which he can lead the company till December 2026.