In the wake of the Lok Sabha Election 2024 dates announcement and the implementation of the Code of Conduct, the Election Commission is visibly in stringent mode. The Commission has ordered administrative reshuffles in certain states. Transfers of 8 non-cadre SP/SSPs and 5 non-cadre DMs have been ordered across five states – Gujarat, Punjab, Odisha, Assam, and West Bengal. Additionally, where allegations of senior politicians' relatives holding positions arose, those DM and SP officers were also transferred, including SSP Bathinda (Punjab) and SP Sonitpur (Assam).
Relatives of IPS officers transferred
According to sources from the Election Commission, relatives of the SP of Bathinda, Punjab are part of the government, while the SP of Sonitpur, Assam is the brother of the state's Chief Minister. These transfers of officers from both districts have been conducted as a precautionary step to eliminate any suspicion of administration bias.
Just a day earlier, the Election Commission expressed its dissatisfaction with the non-compliance of the Model Code of Conduct, even after four days of the election announcement. A stern letter has been sent to the Union Cabinet Secretary and the Chief Secretaries of all the states and union territories, instructing them to report compliance by 5 PM on April 21, 2024.
The Commission also noted ongoing complaints about the administration's indifference towards removing government advertisements from all public venues, including airports, railway stations, bus stands, roads, billboards, banners, posters, and walls, immediately post-Code of Conduct implementation. Despite over 100 hours since enactment, these complaints persist, and the Commission has demanded compliance reports within the next 24 hours.
It should be mentioned that this decision was made after a meeting called under the chairmanship of the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.
Where were the transferred officers previously stationed?
Gujarat:
SPs of Chhota Udaipur and Ahmedabad Rural districts
Punjab:
SSPs of Pathankot, Fazilka, Jalandhar Rural, and Malerkotla districts
Odisha:
DM of Dhenkanal and SPs of Deogarh and Cuttack Rural districts
West Bengal:
DMs of Purba Medinipur, Jhargram, Purba Bardhaman, and Birbhum districts
