Ex-MP and Tamil Nadu’s former Home Secretary Malaisamy no more

K. Malaisamy, former Home Secretary of the Tamil Nadu government, a two-time MP and the first State Election Commissioner, died on Wednesday at his residence in Chennai after a prolonged illness. He was 87. He is survived by his wife and a daughter.

A circular, issued by the State government, said the final rites would be performed at the Velankadu burial ground in Anna Nagar, Chennai, on Friday morning.

Having joined as a Deputy Collector in the State government in 1965, Mr. Malaisamy, a native of Sivaganga district, was later appointed to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and assigned the batch of 1974. Among the posts held by him were the Madurai Municipal Corporation Commissioner, the Coimbatore Collector, the Agriculture Director, the Commissioner of Chennai Municipal Corporation, and the Secretary of the Co-operation, Food and Civil Supplies Department.

In July 1991, he became the Home Secretary, and held the post till his appointment as the State Election Commissioner (SEC) three years later. It was during the first tenure of Jayalalithaa as the Chief Minister that Mr. Malaisamy was given these two posts.

When the State, under the DMK regime, held elections to the local bodies in October 1996 after a gap of nearly 25 years, there were differences between him (as the SEC) and the government. On his last day as the poll commissioner in July 1998, he bitterly criticised the government for not showing the Commission its due respect, a charge that the government had disputed then.

Within weeks of his joining the AIADMK in July 1999, Mr. Malaisamy was nominated as the party’s candidate for the Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency. After his stint in the Lower House of Parliament till 2004, he became an MP again — this time through the Rajya Sabha, and held the post for six years.

A few days before the 2014 Lok Sabha election results were declared, he was expelled from the party after he made a statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a “good friend” of Jayalalithaa. He later joined the BJP.

Former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, AMMK general secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran and former AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala condoled his death.

Published - November 07, 2024 12:57 am IST