Suspense prevailed throughout the day on Wednesday on the appointment of former IAS officer and Kerala BJP leader KJ Alphons as Chandigarh Administrator, a charge held by the Punjab Governor for the last 32 years.
The moment the news broke out in the media, there was wide ranging political debate in Punjab with almost all political parties in the
poll-bound State opposing the move, including the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). This forced the Centre to keep the appointment on hold, at least for the time being.
In fact, so sure was Alphons of his appointment that he even gave media interviews on his “appointment as the first independent UT Administrator after the Chief Commissioner regime in Chandigarh”. In fact Alphons even thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reposing faith in him.
Sources indicated that Alphons was verbally told about the move and asked to be ready to move to Chandigarh by the Home Ministry. However, the notification was not made even though the Centre made a notification for the new Punjab Governor and other State Governors.
Sources said that given the sensitivity of the issue ahead of the Punjab elections, a notification was not made. Sources said that the ruling SAD too lodged a protest with the Centre saying that it would be counter-productive at a time when elections are barely six months away.
For the SAD, an alliance partner of the BJP in Punjab, the decision to reduce the State Government’s stake in Chandigarh’s functioning is seen as a step towards diluting its claim to Chandigarh.