Six state home secretaries are removed by the Election Commission, and Bengal Top Cop

Less than a month remains until the 2024 Lok Sabha election; the ECI announced on Saturday that voting will take place in seven phases starting on April 19 and ending on June 1

New Delhi: On Monday afternoon, the senior bureaucrats from Gujarat, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh were among the six Home Secretaries ordered to be removed by the Election Commission.
The top law enforcement official in a state where there have been multiple incidents of violence during elections in recent years, West Bengal’s Director-General of Police, was also transferred by the poll panel. The poll panel also mandated that by 5 p.m., a shortlist of three possible candidates for the position be prepared and submitted.

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 prior to 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.

Less than a month remains until the 2024 Lok Sabha election; the ECI announced on Saturday that voting will take place in seven phases starting on April 19 and ending on June 1.

In actuality, this is the first administrative reorganization by the ECI since polling dates were published.

Following a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and his two associates, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Gyanesh Kumar, who were recently appointed, the ECI took action. 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.

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According to sources, the dismissed workers were discovered to be holding multiple positions in the chief ministers’ offices of each state. This could jeopardize needed impartiality, especially with regard to peace and order prior to, during, and following voting.

For instance, Sanjay Prasad, the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s principal secretary of Uttar Pradesh, was given extra authority over the Home Department in 2022.

Bengal’s Domination Trinamool has not yet responded on 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 actually hinders preparations because the new personnel need time to get used to their new roles.

Violence has often occurred in Bengal during election season; during the panchayat election in June of last year, nearly a dozen people were slain in the state.

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.

The Chief Election Commissioner stated the poll panel will take a very dim view of any violence during the election when he announced the dates on Saturday. The ECI is ready to take strong action against any such incidence, according to Mr. Kumar. He said, “We’re putting political parties on notice.”