Seshan's legacy

Election Commission's independence must be maintained

Tirunellai Narayana Seshan, the indefatigable crusader for voters’ rights, passed away in Chennai at the age of 86 on Sunday. Seshan, a lifelong civil servant, rose in the Indian Administrative Service to the highest possible position, that of Cabinet Secretary, a post that he held until Rajiv Gandhi lost power in 1989, when he was moved to the Planning Commission. He spent the V P Singh government’s time in the Planning Commission but when Chandra Shekhar came to power with the Congress party’s backing, he was appointed Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). It was as CEC that Seshan came into his