The Election Commission issued orders on Monday afternoon to remove six Home Secretaries, including top bureaucrats from Gujarat, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. The election commission also ordered the transfer of West Bengal's top police officer, the Director-General of Police.
The transfer of the home secretaries of Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, as well as top officials affiliated with the offices of the chief ministers of Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh, is part of the reorganization, which is a customary action by the Election Commission before significant elections.
Furthermore, Iqbal Singh Chahal, the Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, as well as other officials from Maharashtra's municipalities, have been dismissed.
General Election 2024 dates
All of this comes less than a month before the 2024 Lok Sabha election; the ECI announced on Saturday that voting will begin on April 19 and continue across seven stages till June 1.
Time to make your voice count! Find out your voting dates for the Lok Sabha #Elections2024.
Here's the 7 phase schedule for General Elections to Lok Sabha 2024✨☝🏽
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(1/2) pic.twitter.com/qkZaCsrXGQ— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) March 17, 2024
In actuality, this is the first administrative reorganization by the ECI since polling dates were published.
The ECI's move follows a meeting between Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and his two associates, freshly appointed Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. The poll panel has pledged to provide equal opportunities for all political parties in the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, as well as in the by-polls for 26 seats across 13 states. This action is part of that commitment.
Dismissed & Displaced
According to sources, the dismissed workers were discovered to be holding multiple positions in the chief ministers' offices of each state. This could jeopardize required impartiality, especially about peace and order before, during, and following polling.
Bengal's Domination Trinamool has not yet responded to DGP Rajiv Malik's dismissal; some believe he has ties to the party of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The state government has previously questioned the abrupt changes to key police and public service positions so soon to an election, claiming it hinders preparations because the new personnel need time to get used to their new roles.
Bengal has repeatedly experienced violence during polling season; in June of last year, over a dozen people were slain across the state as voting for a panchayat election was ongoing.
The Congress asserted that the state had unleashed thugs on the populace, while the Trinamool charged the opposition with inciting violence and chastised central authorities for their inability to safeguard voters.
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