New Delhi. Before the Lok Sabha elections, in a major action, the Election Commission has issued an order to remove the Home Secretary holding the charge of the CM office of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Not only this, the EC has also ordered the removal of the DGP of West Bengal and the Secretary of the General Administrative Department in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh. The Election Commission has also ordered the removal of Brihanmumbai (BMC) Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued orders for the removal of the Home Secretary in six states namely Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Additionally, the Secretary of the General Administrative Department in Mizoram and… pic.twitter.com/DxvZPPlbNz
— ANI (@ANI) March 18, 2024
Apart from this, the Election Commission has asked the state governments to immediately transfer all those officers who have completed three years tenure in their home district. This decision was taken in a meeting led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. The officers who have been removed were holding the charge of two departments each in the state. Which was not good for the election process.
Maharashtra has not followed the instructions of the Election Commission regarding appointment of some Municipal Commissioners and Additional/Deputy Municipal Commissioners in the state. The Election Commission has expressed its displeasure to the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra in this regard. The Commission has directed BMC and Additional/Deputy Commissioners to report by 6 pm today. Besides, instructions have also been given to transfer them. Let us tell you that at the time of announcement of Lok Sabha election dates, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said that we are committed to conducting fair and peaceful elections. Even before this, during the 2016 assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Bengal, the DGP was removed by the Election Commission. The Election Commission has given a strong message that the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held in a fair manner. There will be no scope for any laxity.