Lok Sabha elections 2024: EC orders transfers of bureaucrats, West Bengal DGP

Seeking to ensure a levelplaying field in the Lok Sabha elections the Election Commission on Monday ordered the removal of the home secretaries of Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Bihar Jharkhand Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and it also directed the shunting out of West Bengal DGP Rajeev KumarAlso the secretary of the general administrative departments of Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh have been removedThe decision to shift the West Bengal DGP was taken as the officer was removed earlier too from active election managementrelated duty during the 2016 assembly election in the state and in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections the sources pointed outThe EC has asked the state chief secretary to post Rajeev Kumar to a ldquononelectionrdquo related assignment and as an interim arrangement post an officer immediately junior to him as DGPThe state has been asked to send a panel of three officers who would be posted as the DGPThe home secretaries of Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Bihar Jharkhand Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were removed as they were found to be holding dual charges in the offices of the chief minister in the respective states This may potentially compromise or be seen to be compromising the impartiality and neutrality required during the electoral process especially in matters relating to law and order and deployment of forces they notedThe poll panel usually takes such action during the parliamentary and the assembly polls when an issue of conflict of interest or possibility of such officials disturbing a levelplaying field for all comes upGlaring example of BJPrsquos control over EC TMCCriticising the removal of West Bengal DGP Rajeev Kumar the Trinamool Congress claimed it was a glaring example of BJPrsquos ldquocontrolrdquo over the EC Addressing a press conference TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh claimed that BJP was gripped by the fear of losing the Lok Sabha seats in the state Seeking to ensure a level playing field in the Lok Sabha elections the EC ordered the removal of home secretaries of six states and West Bengalrsquos director general of police DGP besides the secretary of the general administrative departments of Mizoram and Himachal PradeshldquoThe BJP is trying to misuse all institutions including the Election Commission They are even meddling with the appointment of the election commissioners by changing the recruitment panel The step taken today is a glaring example of the BJPrsquos control over the ECrdquo Ghosh saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever