Kerala CM Defends Appointment of Ex-CEO Rathan Kelkar as Principal Secretary, Calls Controversy ‘Needless’
मुख्य बातें
- •Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan defended the appointment of IAS officer Rathan U. Kelkar as his Principal Secretary, calling the controversy “needless.”
- •Satheesan stated that neither the CPI(M)-led LDF government nor the BJP had criticised Kelkar’s service as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala.
- •The Chief Minister contrasted Kerala’s situation with West Bengal, where opposition parties had accused the CEO of manipulating electoral rolls.
- •Satheesan highlighted Kelkar’s experience in multiple key departments and his appointment as CEO by the previous LDF government.
- •Kelkar took charge as Secretary to the Chief Minister on May 24, 2026.
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Monday, May 25, 2026, clarified that the appointment of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Rathan U. Kelkar as his Secretary was being unnecessarily scrutinised. Addressing the media after the state Cabinet meeting, Satheesan stated that neither the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government led by the CPI(M), nor the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had raised any objections to Kelkar’s performance during his tenure as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala.
