Opposition Targets VD Satheesan Over Ex-EC Official Appointment in Kerala

A fresh political dispute has broken out in Kerala over the posting of Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar as secretary to Chief Minister VD Satheesan, with both the BJP and CPI(M) accusing the Congress of "hypocrisy" and questioning the move soon after the recent Assembly elections.

The Congress leadership in Kerala has rejected those charges and insisted that there is "no politics" behind the decision. Party leaders maintain that transferring Kelkar to the Chief Minister’s Office is a normal administrative step and say the government alone has the authority to decide such postings.

Kelkar appointment Kerala triggers BJP and CPI(M) charge of double standards

The criticism from the BJP and CPI(M) comes against the backdrop of earlier comments by Rahul Gandhi. Gandhi had attacked the BJP government in West Bengal over the appointment of former state Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal as chief secretary after a change of government there.

At that time, Gandhi had alleged that the BJP and the Election Commission were working together. Gandhi had remarked that "the bigger the theft, the bigger the reward." The same line was later cited by BJP leaders while targeting the Congress decision involving Kelkar in Kerala.

Kelkar appointment Kerala details and role in recent polls

Kelkar is a 2003-batch IAS officer who supervised the conduct of the recent Kerala Assembly elections as the state’s Chief Electoral Officer. A government order later reassigned Kelkar from the Election Department to the Chief Minister’s Office with immediate effect.

According to the order, "Rathan U Kelkar IAS (KL 2003), Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala and Secretary, Election Department, is transferred and posted as Secretary to the Chief Minister." The CPI(M) highlighted that Kerala had not previously seen such a posting so soon after an election process.

Senior CPI(M) leader P Rajeev said the Congress central leadership must clarify its stand on appointing a sitting Chief Electoral Officer as the Chief Minister’s secretary. Rajeev stressed in Kochi that Rahul Gandhi had earlier objected to a similar appointment in West Bengal and had described that matter as "a very serious matter."

Rajeev also claimed that Kelkar was moved to the Chief Minister’s Office without even a basic "cooling period," which Rajeev said is usually expected before an election official takes a politically sensitive administrative role. CPI(M) leaders argued that the timing deepened doubts about the neutrality of recent electoral processes.

The CPI(M) alleged that several decisions by the Election Commission during the Assembly polls had appeared "biased and suspicious" in favour of the United Democratic Front. The party argued that Kelkar’s new posting strengthened suspicion about "planned interference" behind controversies that emerged during voting and counting.

The Left party pointed to a series of issues. These included an alleged use of a BJP seal instead of the Election Commission’s seal in a letter to parties, extensive voter deletions under the Special Intensive Revision of rolls, delays in publishing polling percentages, and complaints about the management of strong rooms.

To underline its charge, the CPI(M) claimed that both the BJP-led Union government and the Congress administration in Kerala were eroding the Election Commission’s independence through political pressure. The party framed the Kelkar move as part of a wider pattern that, it argued, reduced public trust in the electoral system.

Reacting from the BJP side, state president K Surendran accused the Congress of changing its stand according to convenience on appointments linked to election officials. Surendran contrasted Gandhi’s criticism in West Bengal with the Congress government’s move in Kerala.

Surendran wrote on social media, "In West Bengal, when the BJP did the same, it was described as a reward for vote theft. But in Kerala, when VD Satheesan does this, it becomes the beauty of democracy. Rahul Gandhi and company are the biggest hypocrites," directly attacking the Congress leadership.

He also posted, "When BJP appoints former West Bengal CEO Manoj Agarwal as Chief Secretary, @RahulGandhi screams: "The bigger the theft, the bigger the reward." But exactly 10 days later, the Congress govt in Keralam led by @vdsatheesan appoints Keralam CEO Rathan Kelkar as Secretary."

Within Kerala, the Congress tried to contain the row. KPCC president and state Power Minister Sunny Joseph told reporters that "there is no politics behind Kelkar's appointment." Joseph insisted that the government had acted within legal and administrative norms while selecting officers for key posts.

State Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala also backed the decision to bring Kelkar into the Chief Minister’s team. Chennithala said the government could select any capable IAS officer for crucial roles and argued that criticism from rival parties was politically motivated.

Chennithala said, "The appointment of Kelkar as the chief minister's secretary is the prerogative of the government. He is a competent officer, and the government has the authority to recall and appoint him. There is nothing unusual in it," as he dismissed demands for a review of the posting.

The dispute over Kelkar’s transfer has therefore drawn in the Congress, BJP and CPI(M), linking national-level arguments with Kerala’s recent polls. With both the ruling side and opposition parties holding firm to their positions, the appointment continues to be discussed as a test of perceptions about electoral neutrality in the state.