The 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India and 1955 batch of IAS officer, TN Seshan passed away in Chennai on Sunday due to cardiac arrest. Tirunellai Narayana Iyer Seshan was 86 when he died. He is popularly known for cleaning the elections in India. TN Seshan, from 1990 to 1996, reformed elections by putting an end to it malpractices. He was just another name to transparency and efficiency in Election Commission of India.

During his tenure, TN Seshan eradicated bribing voters, distribution of liquor during elections and appealing to voters' caste or communal feelings. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted condolences on Twitter – "Shri TN Seshan was an outstanding civil servant. He served India with utmost diligence and integrity. His efforts towards electoral reforms have made our democracy stronger and more participative. Pained by his demise. Om Shanti."

Also, Amit Shah, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and former CEC SY Quraishi tweeted on Seshan’s death in grief. TN Seshan's daughter Srividhya told that her father was ailing for the past couple of years and passed away at 9.45 pm.

After retiring in 1955 as IAS officer of TN cadre, TN served as the 18th Cabinet Secretary of India in 1989. He was also honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his services to the government in 1996. Much earlier, Seshan was a graduate in Physics and worked for three years as a demonstrator at the Madras Christian College. He later studied at Harvard University on Edward S. Mason Fellowship, earning a master's degree in public administration.

SOURCE : GULTE