(MENAFN- Live Mint) Maharashtra Assembly elections 2024 : Acting on the complaints from INC and other parties, the Election Commission of India ordered the transfer of Rashmi Shukla, DGP Maharashtra, with immediate effect with directions to the Chief Secretary to hand over her charge to the next senior most IPS officer in the cadre, ANI reported, citing sources.
Also Read: Maharashtra Elections 2024: Analysing the outgoing Assembly's turbulent 5 years - key numbers
As reported by ANI citing sources,“the Chief Secretary has also been directed to send a panel of three IPS officers by 05.11.2024 (1 pm ) for appointment as DGP Maharashtra."
Sources told ANI that CEC Rajiv Kumar had earlier, during the review meetings and announcement of assembly elections in the state, warned officials to not only be impartial and fair but also perceived to be non-partisan in their conduct while carrying out their duties.
What did opposition leaders alleged?
On Friday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Rautsaid that the Maharashtra Assembly election cannot be conducted fairly if Rashmi Shukla, whom he alleged is biased towards the BJP, remains at the helm of the state police force.
“There is a very serious allegation against the state's Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla. In 2019, when our government was being formed, this Director General of Police, who was directly working for the Bharatiya Janata Party, was tapping all our phones and giving full information to Devendra Fadnavis about what we were going to do,”Raut said, as reported by ANI.
Also Read: Maharashtra Election 2024: Devendra Fadnavis says BJP won't campaign for Nawab Malik for the upcoming polls
Earlier on October 31, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, requesting the removal of Rashmi Shukla from her position.
In the letter, Patole accused DGP Shukla of displaying a“clear bias” against opposition parties in the state, including Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP(SP). He alleged that, in the past 20 days, Maharashtra has witnessed numerous incidents of political violence targeting opposition leaders, with cases reportedly escalating.
Dated October 31, the letter reads,“Kindly refer to our previous letters dated 24th September 2024 and 4th October 2024 concerning the removal of Rashmi Shukla from the post of Director General of Police, Maharashtra. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) reiterated this request during a briefing with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on 27th September 2024.”
Also Read: Maharashtra Assembly Polls: 'Mahayuti is finished now,' says Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala
The letter continued,“This request has been repeatedly submitted through oral representations and press conferences. While the DGP of Jharkhand was removed immediately after the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was enforced, DGP Maharashtra was exempted. Over the past 20 days, political violence against opposition parties has significantly escalated, with a notable deterioration in the law and order situation. She has shown a clear bias against the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP(SP), as evidenced by her previous record of illegal phone tapping of opposition leaders while serving as Commissioner of Police, Pune, and Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department (SID).”
The Maharashtra Assembly elections are scheduled for November 20, with counting for all 288 constituencies set for November 23. In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP won 105 seats, the Shiv Sena 56, and the Congress 44. In 2014, the BJP secured 122 seats, the Shiv Sena 63, and the Congress 42.
(With inputs from ANI)
MENAFN04112024007365015876ID1108846961
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.