Former chief secretary campaigns for CPI(M)

Bureaucrats joining politics and becoming ministers are not new in India.

TN Seshan, former Chief Election Commissioner who had made remarkable electoral reforms including introduction of Electronic Voters Identity cards had contested in election. In West Bengal we have three ministers who are from the Indian Administrative Service of Indian Police Service. But a new addition to this squad is former chief secretary Ardhendu Sen.

Sen is campaigning for CPI(M). He had campaigned for Ambikesh Mahapatra, an independent candidate contesting against Mayor Sovan Chatterjee in Behala East.

On Sunday, Sen had campaigned for CPI(M) candidate from Raidighi, Kanti Ganguly. Ganguly is pitted against sitting TMC MLA Debashree Roy and is expected to put up a stiff fight.

Though Sen was the secretary of Sunderban Affairs Department whose minister was Ganguly, his image is not very clean. His alleged involvement in killing 18 monks and nuns of Anandamargis on Bijon Setu and killing of Officer in charge of Tiljala police station  Gangadhar Bhattacharya. Ganguly’s fight with SUCI often led to violence and his control over the police stations of South 24 parganas is well known. Many of Sen’s former colleagues who preferred anonymity wondered how could Sen campaign for the CPI(M).