New state poll panel chief appointed

CHENNAI: Commissioner of prohibition and excise, Chennai P Seetharaman has been appointed the new state election commissioner. Retired IAS officer Cho Iyer was appointed state election commissioner soon after AIADMK government was elected in 2011. His term has come to an end.
According to a communiqué issued by chief secretary K Gnanadesikan on Saturday, Governor K Rosaiah appointed Seetharaman as state election commissioner for a period of 2 years.Seetharaman is a 1998 batch IAS officer and is a native of Dindigul district.
The state election commission is in charge of conducting elections to local bodies like municipalities, corporations, panchayats and town panchayats. The Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994 was enacted under the provisions of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments to the Constitution and this paved way for the creation of Tamil Nadu State Election Commission.
Seetharaman will oversee the local body elections in 2016 soon after the assembly elections.