India, April 1 -- Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth, an armoured corps officer, will on Wednesday take charge as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, replacing Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh who will move from New Delhi to Chandimandir as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Command, as part of a reshuffle in the army's top echelons, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday. Seth will be the senior-most officer when army chief General Upendra Dwivedi retires on June 30, making him the frontrunner for the top post.

Seth was so far heading the Pune-based Southern Command, a role he held since July 1, 2024.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, he was commissio...