Bengal Chief Minsiter Mamata Banerjee has come in for severe criticism for “trying to hijack the entire constituional machinery” by nominating a retired civil services officer of the State cadre as the next State Election Commissioner.
What is more, the said retired officer currently serving on extension as the OSD to the Governor had never earlier worked above the rank of an SDM.Wondering how a West Bengal Civil Services officer would be able to issue directions to senior IAS officers like Chief Secretary and Home Secretary the left Front chairman Biman Bose said, “It is a matter of great agony both political and administrative that officers of junior cadre are placed over the senior cadre just in order to keep the proceedings in the hands of the Chief Minister herself.”
The tool once devised but left unused by the Marxists apparently to humble their political opponents is currently being used by the present Chief Minister, experts say. She used the amendment brought in by Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Government to put a WBCS officer on the top constitutional post.The name of the new SEC is SR Upadhyaya a retired WBCS officer who would replace current SEC Meera Pandey whose term ends on July 31.
Similarly Osman Ghani another WBCS officer will be appointed as the Commission Secretary. Techincally during the elections SEC who remains at the helm ex-officio is considered superior to the Chief Secretary.
“In that case it will be very difficult for the IAS and IPS officers like DMs, SPs and more so the Home and Chief Secretaries to take directions from an officer not only far junior in rank but also as a cadre,” said a Secretary to the Government of West Bengal requesting anonimity. “It will be difficult for the Chief Secretary or like officers to go the SEC when summoned by an officer who would till the other day take orders not only from him but from officers far junior to him.”
PCC president Adhir Chowdhury said, “like she broke the teeth of State Human Rights Commission by getting removed an honest Judge like Justice AK Ganguli on frivolous grounds and replacing him by a faithful retired IPS officer, the Chief Minister has done in the case of State Election Commission,” just because she knows “ what an IAS officer like Meera Pandey can do to a Government which does not follow electoral laws.”
Banerjee would use a faithful and chained SEC to win civic elections and rural polls, was the common refrain among the Opposition parties.“It is difficult to conceive how a WBCS officer will issue directions and summon Chief Secretary Home Secretary, DMs and SPs all of who belong to the IAS cadre to his office,” said the BJP leaders adding Banerjee knew well that the saffron party was coming up very fast in the State and she could keep them in check only by manipulating polls.
Nominating her own person as the SEC could go a long way in next year’s civic elections including the one for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, they complained.The BJP had secured leads in 17 municipal seats in Kolkata and was in the second position in another 32 in the recently conducted parliamentary elections.
Pandey who retires on July 31 was an Additional Chief secretary rank officer while her predecessors were either retired Chief secretaries or Additional Chief Secretaries.The Chief Minister had a trying time in the last year's rural elections with Pandey at the helm in the State Commission. The SEC dragged the State Government to the High Court and even the Supreme Court several times to ensure free and fare elections with the help of Central forces.
Meanwhile in a latest development the State Commission on Thursday placed a proposal before the High Court giving dates for elections to 17 municipal bodies where the seats would fall vacant by mid August.While the Government wants the polls to be conducted after October the Commission is wants it to be held on time.
The Commission on Thursday proposed to announce the poll date on July 21 and end the poll process by 31 August. The BJP also filed a separate petition to be included as an intervening party in the case.