T.N. Seshan

The sixth child of a lawyer father and a homemaker mother, T.N. Seshan was born in 1932 in Palghat,
Kerala. As a student, he was brilliant at academics and went on to become an Indian Administrative
Services (IAS) officer like his elder brother. Having had an exceptional and productive career in the
IAS, he served at the top under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. But what elevated him to legendary
status was his tenure as the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) at the Election Commission.
Seshan, at the pinnacle of his career, gained unrivalled popularity in India. Over six years as the
CEC, he became a household name. Audiences and organizations across the nation were eager to
hear him. Fan clubs were formed in his honour and to facilitate his work. His work found admirers
across the seven seas, and post his retirement, he was even invited to the US President’s annual
prayer event in early 1997.
His service at the Commission was tumultuous, but it was single-minded in the pursuit of free and
fair elections. He was relentless in innovatively implementing codes through pre-existing laws and
in bringing in new reforms, and, finally retiring in December 1996. It is in this last phase of six
years that he made a huge and positive impact on the nation as a whole.
He left for his heavenly abode in the winter of 2019.