Political row erupts in Kerala over appointment of election officer; BJP and CPI(M) attack Congress
मुख्य बातें
- •Kerala’s election officer Ratan U Kelkar’s appointment as Chief Minister’s secretary has drawn criticism from BJP and CPI(M).
- •Congress has rejected the allegations, stating the appointment is not politically motivated.
- •CPI(M) said such post-election appointments have never happened in Kerala before.
- •BJP alleged that while Congress criticises such appointments in other Congress-ruled states, it is practising the same in Kerala.
Kerala witnessed a major political controversy on Saturday after the state government transferred Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Kelkar to the office of Chief Minister VD Satheesan as his secretary. Both the BJP and CPI(M) have accused the Congress of adopting a "double standard" over the appointment.
A 2003 batch IAS officer, Kelkar had recently supervised the entire election process in Kerala as the Chief Electoral Officer during the recent assembly elections. His transfer and subsequent appointment as secretary in the Chief Minister’s office has now triggered a political storm.
Senior BJP leader K Surendran criticised the Congress, alleging that while the party had previously accused the Election Commission and the BJP of collusion in West Bengal over similar appointments, it was now practising the same in Kerala. He tweeted, “In West Bengal, Congress had alleged collusion between the Election Commission and the BJP over such appointments, but in Kerala, the Congress itself is doing the same.”
