A day after the visit of a team from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to Jharkhand, at least 12 senior bureaucrats were either transferred from the positions or given additional responsibilities here on Thursday.
The move seems to be in accordance with the ECI’s directive of transferring officials, who were serving at a position for over three years and would be involved in conducting the elections, in Jharkhand.
The government appointed IT Secretary Vinay Choubey and Sri Krishna Lok Prashashan Sansthan’s (SKIPA) Director Manish Ranjan as Additional Chief Election Officers. The duo has been given additional charge and will continue undertaking their former responsibilities.
According to a press release from the State’s Information and Public Relations Department issued on Thursday late evening, Simdega Deputy Commissioner Jata Shankar Choudhary was made the Jamtara Deputy Commissioner and Giridih Deputy Commissioner Neha Arora was transferred to the Department of Personnel.
Besides, Bokaro Deputy Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Barnwal was made the Project Director of Jharkhannd AIDS Control Society. Deputy Commissioner of Jamtara Aditya Kumar Anand will now be the Joint Secretary of the School Education and Literacy Department. Special Secretary in CM Secretariat Vipra Bhal was given the charge of Simdega Deputy Commissioner, while Joint Secretary Health and Family Welfare Rajesh Kumar Pathak was made the Giridih Deputy Commissioner.
Additional Secretary of School Education and Literacy Department, Shailesh Kumar Chourasia will take charge as the Bokaro Deputy Commissioner.
Also, the government shifted three IPS officers including A Vijay Laxmi, Superintendent of Police (SP), Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) who has been made the SP, Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). P Murugan, SP, ATS has been made the SP of Bokaro district. And, Bokaro SP Kartik S was made the SP, ACB. “Only polling officials directly involved in conducting the elections at the district level will be transferred if they fall in the criterion,” Chief Electoral Officer L Khiangte told this newspaper, hours before the development.
Deputy Commissioners are the returning officers during the elections and are directly involved in conducting the polling process. All the seven transfers ordered on Thursday will change the Deputy Commissioner in one or the other district.
The ECI’s decision was taken in light of the opposition parties’ concern over loyalty of some officials towards the ruling government. Their representatives had told the ECI on Wednesday that such officials may become a hurdle in conducting fair elections.
The ECI team had visited Ranchi on Wednesday to get an update on the preparedness of the state for the elections.
After hearing the concerns of political parties, it met Jharkhand chief secretary Sudhir Tripathi and asked him to transfer officials as per the ECI guidelines. However, the ECI did not specify if senior state level officials too would come under the ambit of their order.