Remember how retired IAS officer Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar appointed as the Andhra Pradesh state election commissioner (SEC) by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu during his earlier stint, had created troubles for the previous Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the conduct of local body elections in the state?
He was replaced by another retired IAS officer Neelam Sawhney, who served as the chief secretary during the Jagan government.
Though she was considered be a favourite of Jagan, who got her two-time extension as the chief secretary, she did not do any favour to the YSRCP during the last year by-elections to some municipalities and corporations in the state.
Now, Naidu is going to appoint another favourite retired IAS officer – Anil Chandra Punetha – as the SEC.
The formal appointment is expected to be finalized shortly through governor S Abdul Nazeer.
The post fell vacant after the tenure of incumbent SEC Neelam Sawhney ended in March.
Punetha, a 1984-batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, previously served as chief secretary during the TDP government ahead of the 2019 elections.
However, he was removed from the post by the Election Commission of India during the election period following complaints from the YSR Congress Party regarding delays in implementing transfer orders.
After retirement, Punetha held key positions including Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation and later served as Chief Information Commissioner of Uttarakhand.
Following the formation of the current coalition government in Andhra Pradesh, he was appointed as Vigilance Commissioner.
Sources indicate that if Punetha is appointed as SEC, the government may consider appointing another retired IAS officer and former chief secretary, Neerabh Kumar Prasad, as Vigilance Commissioner.
Punetha holds a degree in Economics, a postgraduate qualification in Rural Development, and an LLB.
He began his administrative career as Sub-Collector of Rajampet in Kadapa district and later served as District Collector of Srikakulam, where he received the Best Collector award three times.
So, it will be Punetha who will be holding the forte as SEC, even if Jagan comes to power in 2029. Since he faced troubles from Jagan in the past, it is expected that he may pose problems for the YSRCP in the local body elections!