The Election Commission (EC) has taken action following the recent announcement of the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
In an effort to ensure a fair and level-playing field during the Lok Sabha elections, the EC has issued orders for the removal of home secretaries from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, as well as the director general of police from West Bengal, according to sources. Additionally, the secretary of the general administrative departments in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh has also been removed. Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, along with additional commissioners and deputy commissioners, have also been directed to be removed by the EC.
Following the announcement of the election schedule, the EC under CEC Rajiv Kumar has also ordered the transfer of officers involved in election-related work who have completed three years or are in their respective home districts. The state of Maharashtra had not fully complied with these directions regarding certain municipal commissioners and additional and deputy municipal commissioners, prompting the commission to express dissatisfaction to the state chief secretary and issue a transfer order to the BMC officials and additional and deputy commissioners to report by 6pm on Monday.
The commission has also instructed the chief secretary to transfer other similarly placed municipal commissioners and additional or deputy municipal commissioners in other corporations in Maharashtra. This action is part of the commission’s efforts to maintain fairness in the electoral process, a point emphasized by CEC Kumar on multiple occasions. The decision was made following a meeting of the commission members, CEC Kumar, and fellow ECs Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu on Monday.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI)
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