IAS officer creates record, all eyes on Kerala as Civil Servant becomes election specialist with 35 times as poll observer

2744
Dr.Raju Narayana Swamy, senior IAS officer, Kerala

CHENNAI: Assembly elections in Karnataka were held just recently, counting over and a new government was formed there. Now, all eyes are on Kerala since an interesting count has come to light about the election duty performed by officials in sandalwood State and a few points are highlighted in public interest after keen observation by poll watchers.

Dr.Raju Narayana Swamy, a senior IAS officer of Kerala cadre who is well-known as anti-corruption crusader, has created a new record by becoming Election Observer for 35th time when he discharged his poll duty in Bangalore South constituency which is one among the largest in the country with nearly seven lakh voters and the largets constituency in Karnataka. He is presently the Principal Secretary of Parliamentary Affairs Department, Government of Kerala.

The Kerala cadre IAS officer is now being keenly observed for the vast experience he has in conducting of polls as an election observer since he had successfully performed the duty once again in the 2023 assembly elections in Karnataka. Information received by ‘Lotus Times’ on May 24th 2023 from different sources has given a few insights into how this 1991 batch IAS topper at national level who had donned several important positions in Kerala has come to be known as common man’s civil servant through his integrity, intelligence and involvement.

ELECTION DUTY IN 16 STATES:

For Dr.Raju Narayana Swamy, election duty became a mission and a passion as he has so far performed election duties in 16 States across the nation, including in Naxal-affected areas in Jharkhand and in border areas of the country. The latest poll observer duty in Karnataka 2023 Assembly polls was his third stint in that State, the earlier ones being in Gulbarga (now known as Kalburgi) and in Hubli-Dharwad.

This senior civil servant who is widely regarded as election specialist was international observer in the 2018 Zimbabwe elections, he was roll observer for Kanpur division in the 2012 Uttar Pradesh election where he was in-charge of six districts. Being a strict IAS officer who goes by rules and only by the rule book, Dr.Raju Narayana Swamy experiments new initiatives in cyber hub by monitoring social media also for creating a level playing field.

NOT JUST POLLS, WITH PEN TOO:

The Kerala cadre IAS officer is very good with his pen too, and just poll duty. He has penned 31 books and won the prestigious Kerala-Sahitya Akademi Award for his travelogue ‘Shantimantram Muzhangunna Thazhavarayil’. To subtantiate the point that he is an intellectual IAS officer, there are other awards that he had won including the acclaimed Leonardo da Vinci Fellowship in 2021 which was instituted by the Center for Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy, George Mason University for his scholarship in intellectual property law, the 2018 Satyendra K.Dubey Memorial Award by IIT Kanpur for his professional integrity in upholding human values and the prestigious Homi Bhabha Fellowship in cyber law.

GREAT ACADEMIC BACKGROUND:

The experienced IAS officer has an enriching educational background because he was a B.Tech from IIT Madras in computer science and engineering, a Ph D in Law from the Gujarat National Law University, holds a PG Diploma from the National Law School in Bangalore and an LLM from NLU-Delhi, both with gold medals.

In Kerala, he left an indelible mark in many departments and postings and Dr.Raju Narayana Swamy is very famous for his stint as District Collector of Idukki where he spearheaded the demolition of unauthorized resorts in Munnar, which led to the resignation of a Minister and applauded by the people of Kerala. Official sources in Kerala say that his success as a civil servant has blossomed over the years because he focused on public service delivery through use of technology in governance and for his transparency while engaging with the people through various positions he held in the Kerala government.

IIT KANPUR ALUMNI RECORDS:

A brief look into Dr.Swamy’s profile recorded in IIT Kanpur alumni resources data clearly applauds him for his staunch stand against corruption, fight against illegal land dealings, the support he got from the common man, his love for mother tongue and hence his works in Malayalam as a writer and his relentless pursuit for people’s cause as a civil servant. So, at a time when India is in need of more and more officers who can significantly contribute for the common man, the role of IAS officers like Dr.Raju Narayana Swamy from Kerala becomes crucial in the days to come, and his expertise in elections may be well utilized for our country and tap the strengths of this IAS officer from the God’s Own Country.




Leave a Reply