Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan on Monday defended the appointment of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr. Rathan U. Kelkar as his official secretary, saying the decision follows a standard constitutional process.
Speaking to the media after a cabinet meeting here on Monday, Satheesan dismissed criticisms against Kelkar’s appointment, questioning the basis of the political row. He emphasized that no political party in Kerala — including the CPM or the BJP — had raised any allegations against Kelkar’s neutrality or performance before or during the assembly elections.
“What is wrong in appointing Khelkar? He is an IAS officer of the Kerala cadre. Once the election process is completed, that task is completed. Ratan Khelkar was appointed by informing the Election Commission,” he added.
The Chief Minister noted that the state government submits a routine panel for the CEO appointment, with the Chief Election Commissioner completing the final selection. “The discussions happening now regarding the appointment are very funny. It was the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government that recommended Khelkar’s appointment as the Chief Electoral Officer. Did the Pinarayi Vijayan government appoint Ratan Khelkar as the Chief Electoral Officer to ensure that the UDF gets 102 seats,” he asked.
Satheesan argued that several previous Chief Electoral Officers have historically transitioned into other vital, high-profile state government roles without controversy.
He defended Rahul Gandhi’s previous criticism of a similar appointment in West Bengal by arguing that the contexts were fundamentally different. He explained that Rahul Gandhi criticized the appointment of Manoj Kumar Agarwal, the West Bengal CEO, as Chief Secretary because serious allegations of “vote theft” and partisanship had been raised against that officer during the election. In contrast, he pointed out that no political party in Kerala—neither the CPM nor the BJP—had raised a single complaint against Rathan Kelkar’s neutrality or conduct during the polls.
Satheesan argue that applying Rahul Gandhi’s criticism to Kerala is invalid because Kelkar is a non-controversial officer with a clean track record, making his appointment a routine exercise of executive prerogative rather than a “reward” for favoring a party.
The Opposition parties—the CPM, CPI, and the BJP—have fiercely criticized Kelkar’s appointment. They allege that appointing the state’s top poll official to the Chief Minister’s office immediately after an election raises serious questions about the neutrality, credibility, and fairness of the election process.
CPM, CPI and BJP leaders have sharply criticized Congress and Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of maintaining a double standard regarding bureaucratic appointments. Opposition leaders pointed out that while Rahul Gandhi slammed the new BJP government in West Bengal for appointing Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal as Chief Secretary, the newly elected Congress government in Kerala has similarly appointed its own CEO, Rathan U. Kelkar, as Secretary to Chief Minister Satheesan.
CPM Kerala secretary MV. Govindan sharply criticized the ruling Congress party, accusing them of “double standards” and hinting that damning internal revelations about the decision would soon emerge. Govindan also reminded the public that during Kelkar’s tenure as CEO, the election office faced intense public and political backlash for reportedly disenfranchising thousands of voters.