Election Commission Orders Removal Of Home Secretaries Of Six States

A day after announcing the Lok Sabha election dates, the Election Commission of India (ECI) today ordered the removal of home secretaries in six states, claiming to ensure free, fair and transparent elections. The removed home secretaries includes bureaucrats from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, news agency ANI reported.

The commission has further directed the state governments to transfer officers associated with election work who completed three years or are in their home districts. Such reshuffles ahead of the major elections were not strange. The list includes the Secretary of the General Administrative Department in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh, BrihanMumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, Additional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, among others.

The officials were removed because they were found to be holding two charges in the officers of the respective chief minister of each state, NDTV reported, citing sources. The practices compromise the law and order situation during and after the elections.

However, the chief election commissioner has asked political parties to comply with the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) that regulates the campaign behaviours of the candidates and their parties by issuing guidelines to adhere. The move came after a meeting of the Chief Election Commissioner and his associates.

The commission on Saturday announced the dates for the Lok Sabha elections along with the assembly elections of four states – Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam. The MCC also came into immediate effect with the EC”s schedule announcement, and the commission has asserted strict action if any violations of the MCC were reported