Thiruvananthapuram: Dr A Kowsigan, a 2009-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the new Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Kerala. The appointment comes after former CEO Dr Ratan U Kelkar, IAS, was named Secretary to Chief Minister V D Satheesan.

Meanwhile, Kelkar’s appointment as Secretary to the Chief Minister has triggered a political controversy, with the CPM, BJP, and SDPI accusing the Congress of double standards over the posting of election officials to key government positions. SDPI state general secretary K K Abdul Jabbar alleged that the move undermines democratic values and the neutrality of constitutional institutions, drawing parallels with the controversial appointment of former West Bengal CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal as chief secretary.

Jabbar also cited a previous incident ahead of the Kerala Assembly elections, when an official communication from the Election Department allegedly bore the seal of the BJP’s Kerala unit instead of the Election Commission.

Senior BJP leader K Surendran accused the Congress, saying it had criticised similar appointments in BJP-ruled states but now condones them in Kerala. CPM leader P Rajeev also questioned Kelkar’s posting without a “cooling period,” which is generally expected in such cases, and called on the Congress and Rahul Gandhi to clarify their stance amid concerns over the credibility of the election process.