He was known for cracking the whip on money & muscle power in elections, & proved to be a nemesis for political parties
On Sunday, Nov 10, Ex-Chief Election Commissioner Tirunellai Narayanaiyer Seshan, who cracked the whip on money & muscle power in elections & proved to be a nemesis for political parties, died in Chennai around 9.15 pm. He was 87. His wife, Jayalakshmi, had died early last year.
According to his family members Srividya & Mahesh, Mr. Seshan didn't suffer from any disease in the final stages. His end came at his house on St. Mary’s Road in Alwarpet. “He had afever yesterday. Otherwise, he had only age-related issues. It was very sudden. At 9.15 p.m., he was watching television, felt uneasy & wanted to go the restroom. Later when we took him to the bed, he passed away,” Ms. Srividya said. His final rites are expected to be held on Monday evening.
Seshan's work as CEC got international recognition when he was given the Ramon Magsaysay award for 1996. He was the only one to hold the post of CEC for 6 years from 1990 to 1996 in the last 50 years. He was known to follow a no-nonsense approach, & had enforced, in his own way, discipline on political parties & contestants. He earned the wrath of several politicians including Ex-Chief Minister Jayalalithaa who had once described him as an “embodiment of arrogance”.
In July 1997, he had unsuccessfully contested in the Presidential election against K.R. Narayanan, who was backed by almost all the parties in the country. Against Narayanan’s 9,56,290 votes, Seshan could poll only 50,631 votes. 2 years later, in the Gandhinagar parliamentary constituency, the Congress fielded him against the then Union Home Minister L.K. Advani of the BJP. Seshan lost by a margin of around 2,00,000 votes.
Source Link
Picture Source :
