Former Andhra Pradesh chief secretary Nilam Sawhney among three probables for election body chief  

VIJAYAWADA: As the tenure of incumbent State Election Commissioner (SEC) Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar is due to end by March 31, the State government is learnt to have sent a list of three former IAS officers to the Governor to appoint one of them as the new SEC.

Apart from former Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, who is now Principal Advisor to the CM, the government has also proposed the names of M Samuel, advisor to the CM, and another retired IAS officer L Premachandra Reddy for the SEC post.

Sources said that though all the three retired bureaucrats enjoy good rapport with Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Nilam Sawhney may be the first option of the government for the SEC post. Despite the fact that the government had recently issued an order finalising emoluments and staff for her office in the capacity of Principal Advisor to the CM, Nilam's name has been included in the list of probables. 

As the government has allocated several crucial subjects to Nilam to deal with in her capacity as Principal Advisor to the CM, the Governor may consider the name of one of the two other retired bureaucrats and in such case, Samuel has a good chance to be the new SEC, the sources said. 

Premachandra Reddy, who is handling the subjects related to the total implementation of the AP Reorganisation Act, is also a strong contender for the post. The Governor is likely to take a decision on appointment of the new SEC at the earliest, the sources said.

What came as a surprise is  retired Judge V Kanagaraj, who was earlier appointed SEC after the government issued an ordinance removing Ramesh Kumar, is not in the list of the names sent to the Governor. The retired Madras High Court judge was appointed SEC in April, 2020 by curtailing the tenure of Ramesh Kumar through an ordinance. However, Ramesh Kumar was reinstated after court orders.