Former Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U. Kelkar takes charge as Secretary to Chief Minister

Rathan U. Kelkar, who was till recently Chief Electoral Officer – Kerala, took charge as Secretary to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the political row over the appointment refused to die down, with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continuing their attack against the appointment.

Speaking to the media in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, BJP leader and MLA V. Muraleedharan said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called the appointment of Chief Electoral Officer – West Bengal Manoj Agarwal as the Chief Secretary of West Bengal as a reward for the BJP’s victory.

“By that logic, can we say that the CEC in Kerala also got the reward for aiding the Congress’s massive win? Before the elections, Mr. Satheesan had predicted that the Congress would win 100 seats. Did he make such accurate predictions based on the inputs and help from those who were conducting the elections? If that is not the case, Mr. Gandhi should apologise to the people and the Chief Minister of West Bengal,” said Mr. Muraleedharan.  

But Congress leaders, including Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph, had strongly defended the appointment describing Mr. Kelkar, a 2003 batch IAS officer, as an upright and efficient officer who has handled multiple portfolios. Congress leaders also maintained that Mr. Kelkar’s appointment cannot be equated with the development in West Bengal.