Election Commission Transfers Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, Vigilance DGP Ahead of Assembly Polls

Coimbatore: In a major reshuffle of the Tamil Nadu bureaucracy ahead of Assembly polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday transferred Chief Secretary N Muruganandam, replacing him with senior IAS officer M Saikumar with immediate effect.

Following the EC directive, Saikumar, a 1990 batch officer who previously served as Personal Secretary to former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, assumed office at the Secretariat. Prior to this appointment, he was Chairman and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd.

The incumbent Muruganandam, who assumed office in 2024, was relieved of his duties, official sources confirmed. The sweeping changes come as part of the poll panel's efforts to ensure free and fair elections in the state.

The EC has also ordered the appointment of senior IPS officer Sandeep Mittal as the DGP of Armed Reserve and Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, replacing Davidson Devasirvatham. The poll panel had also effected transfers of Superintendents of Police in several districts across Tamil Nadu.

Earlier, the Commission had shifted Tamil Nadu DGP and Head of Police Force G Venkatraman, posting senior officer Sandeep Rai Rathore in his place. These administrative changes are part of a comprehensive overhaul of key positions in the state's bureaucracy.

Maintaining that the changes had been made as part of election preparedness in the state, the EC asked for a compliance report confirming the officers taking over their new responsibilities by Wednesday itself. The Commission had also specifically directed that the two officers who had been transferred should not be entrusted with any election-related work.

The reshuffling of top bureaucratic positions is seen as a standard procedure by the Election Commission to ensure neutrality and transparency in the conduct of elections. The Commission exercises these powers under the Model Code of Conduct to maintain a level playing field for all political parties during the electoral process.