EC transfers TN Chief Secretary, Vigilance DGP ahead of Assembly elections

In a major reshuffle in the Tamil Nadu bureaucracy, the Election Commission of India has shunted out Chief Secretary N Muruganandam, replacing him with senior IAS officer M Saikumar with immediate effect on Wednesday.

Following the EC directive, Saikumar, a 1990-batch officer who had served as Personal Secretary to former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, assumed office at the Secretariat. Before this, he was Chairman and Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd. The incumbent, Muruganandam, was relieved of his duties, official sources said. He had assumed office in 2024.

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The EC has also ordered the appointment of Sandeep Mittal as DGP, Armed Reserve and the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, replacing Davidson Devasirvatham. The poll panel had also transferred SPs in a few districts.

Maintaining that the changes were part of election preparedness in the state, the EC asked for a compliance report from the officers taking charge of their new responsibilities by Wednesday. The Commission also directed that the two officers who were removed should not be entrusted with any election-related work. Interestingly, the transfer of top bureaucrats comes close on the heels of West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee alleging collusion between the EC, DMK and the Congress.