Rejecting allegations of the Trinamool Congress that Deputy Election Commissioner in-charge of West Bengal Sudeep Jain is biased, the poll body on Friday said it has “full faith in the integrity and fairness” of the senior official.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal had on Thursday demanded the removal of Jain, accusing him of being biased against it and breaking norms of the federal structure.
In a statement, the Election Commission said that all its deputy election commissioners and other officials posted in the commission’s headquarters or working in the field are “discharging their duties strictly as per the Constitution of India and the various extant rules regarding the conduct of elections”.
“There could be an odd exception here or there in which case the Election Commission takes corrective action immediately,” it said. The statement said in the immediate case, “the commission has full faith in the integrity and fairness of Sudeep Jain, DEC”.
“Unfortunately, it is not for the first time that a concerted campaign is mounted against senior officers of the commission on the eve of or during the process of elections,” it said.
Referring to allegations made by the TMC about two decisions taken by Jain during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as deputy election commissioner in-charge at EC for West Bengal elections, the EC clarified that both these decisions were taken by the Commission in the interest of holding free fair and peaceful elections and implemented by the district election machinery under supervision of DEC,Chief Electoral Officer, Police Nodal Officer and other concerned senior officials.
TMC spokesperson Sougata Roy had said on Thursday that party leader Derek O’ Brien has written to the ECdemanding that Jain be removed as he has a “track record” of being biased against it during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“During the last parliamentary poll, Sudeep Jain had taken several steps which were not only against the norms of the Election Commission but also against those of the federal structure. We don’t have any faith in him. We (TMC) apprehend that this time too he will take steps which will either directly or indirectly help the BJP,” Roy had said at a press conference in Kolkata.