Former Chief Election Commissioner, Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan passed away yesterday around 9.15 p.m. He was 87. It may be recalled that he cracked the whip on money power and muscle power in elections. Family members said that he did not suffer from any major illness except for age related issues. His wife Jayalakshmi died early last year. His final rites will be performed this evening. His end came at his house on St.Marys Road in Alwarpet.
He was the only person to hold the post of Chief Election Commissioner for 6 years, from 1990 to 1996. During his tenure, he made sure that the model code of conduct was taken seriously by both political parties and the candidates. He was the one to introduce electors photo identity cards. He belonged to the 1955 batch of Tamilnadu cadre officers of the Indian Administrative Service. He was an alumnus of Madras Christian College. He also did a course in management at Harvard University in the 60’s.
