The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led Tamil Nadu government has reportedly requested the resignation of State Election Commissioner B. Jothi Nirmalasamy. Nirmalasamy, a 1992-batch IAS officer and recipient of the Kalpana Chawla Award, was appointed to the position in March 2024 by the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government.
This move is part of a broader effort by the current administration to replace officials appointed by the previous government. Recently, several senior officials, including retired IAS officer Shiv Das Meena and former Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal, have resigned from their respective positions.
Nirmalasamy currently oversees the State Election Commission, which is responsible for conducting local body elections in Tamil Nadu. The commission is also engaged in the delimitation of local body boundaries ahead of upcoming elections.
The office of the State Election Commissioner is constitutionally protected, with provisions that prevent removal except in the same manner and on the same grounds as a High Court judge. This raises questions about the legality of the government's request for Nirmalasamy's resignation.
As of now, there has been no official response from Nirmalasamy regarding the government's request.
The situation continues to unfold, and further developments are awaited.