New Delhi, Feb 26 (PTI): Outgoing CRPF chief A P Maheshwari and former DoPT secretary C Chandramouli have been appointed as advisers to the lieutenant governor (LG) of poll-bound Puducherry, an order issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was given the additional charge of Puducherry after incumbent LG Kiran Bedi was removed from her post by a presidential order last week.

Outgoing CRPF chief A P Maheshwari and former DoPT secretary C Chandramouli have been appointed as advisers to the lieutenant governor (LG) of poll-bound Puducherry, an order issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Friday.

The two appointments were being made with “immediate effect”, the order issued by the MHA said.

Maheshwari, a 1984-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, will superannuate as the director general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on February 28.

He has earlier served in the home ministry as the special secretary (internal security).

Chandramouli, a 1985-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, has earlier served as the registrar general and the census commissioner of the country. He retired as the secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in September last year.

The last census exercise in the country was conducted in 2011 during Chandramouli”s tenure.

President”s Rule has been imposed in Puducherry and the Assembly has been kept under suspended animation after the V Narayanasamy-led Congress government resigned earlier this week ahead of a vote of confidence.

The Election Commission announced the Assembly polls schedule for Puducherry, Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala on Friday.

While West Bengal will have eight phases of polling from March 27 to April 29 and Assam will witness three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6, polling in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will take place in a single phase on April 6. Counting of votes for all the four states and the Union Territory of Puducherry will be taken up on May 2.