Chennai: Former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s chief advisor Sheela Balakrishnan, the top bureaucrat credited with running the state administration while Jayalalithaa was hospitalised, has resigned as advisor to the chief minister. Another close Jaya aide, K.N. Venkataramanan, who was Secretary I in CM office, too has quit while CM-Secretary IV A. Ramalingam, a serving civil servant, has been kept in ‘waitlist.’
Close on the heels of Sheela Balakrishnan’s resignation on Friday, Mr Venkataramanan too had resigned. Mr. Venkataramanan who is currently in Shirdi along with his family members, said he had quit.
Ramalingam, who has reportedly gone on leave since Friday to his native place Thanjavur, is expected to report for work on Monday. Sources said he has been kept on waitlist and that a decision on his posting would be taken later.
A 1976-batch IAS officer, Sheela Balakrishnan hails from Thiruvananthapuram. Jayalalithaa made her the state chief secretary overlooking her husband, then the senior-most IAS official in the state and when she retired, made her the adviser to the government in 2014.
The 62-year-old ex-CS is said to have wielded considerable power in the last few years, particularly after Jayalalithaa’s hospitalisation. Mr Venkataraman and Mr Ramalingam ably assisted her. The former had got a five-year extension of service from Jayalalithaa. Mr Ramalingam is rejoining work on Monday after short leave, when he could be informed of his new assignment, sources said.
