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Chief Electoral Officer (CEO - Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar volition instrumentality complaint arsenic Secretary to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.
While ceremonial orders are awaited, it is understood that Mr. Kelkar was contacted connected Friday and asked to articulation the caller Chief Minister’s team.
The 2003 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) serviceman of the Kerala cadre has been serving arsenic CEO - Kerala since December 2024.
In caller months, Mr. Kelkar has been successful the quality for having helmed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls and the consequent April 9 Kerala Assembly elections successful which the UDF had secured a landslide triumph by claiming 102 of the 140 seats successful the Assembly.
Both the past ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) – present successful powerfulness – were opposed to the Election Commission of India (EC) determination to clasp the SIR successful Kerala.
Mr. Kelkar’s astonishment assignment has besides made quality arsenic it has travel against the backdrop of the caller assignment of Manoj Kumar Agarwal, a 1990 batch IAS serviceman who oversaw the West Bengal Assembly elections arsenic CEO of that State, arsenic the Chief Secretary to the caller BJP government.
Once Mr. Kelkar is relieved of the station of CEO, the State authorities would nonstop a sheet of names to the EC to get a caller serviceman appointed successful that post.
The General Administration section has besides issued orders appointing 20 unit to Mr. Satheesan’s office, including Sreekumar T. arsenic Special Private Secretary, Seeji G.S. arsenic Press Secretary, and Roy Mathews arsenic Media Secretary, Thilakan K.P.K. and Mohanachandran M.S. arsenic Additional Private Secretaries.
