The Election Commission has ordered the removal of several top officials in Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP and West Bengal — including Mumbai civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal and Bengal police chief Rajeev Kumar. The poll body also issued orders for the removal of Home Secretaries in Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Secretary of the General Administrative Department in Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh have also been removed.
An official communique from the poll body linked the orders to poll preparedness in the relevant states. A missive sent to the West Bengal Chief Secretary also called for West Bengal Director General of Police — Rajeev Kumar — to be shifted to a "non-election related post" with immediate effect.
India is slated to hold Lok Sabha elections in seven phases starting from April 19. The decision was announced soon after newly appointed election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu met with the EC on Monday. It is part of the poll body's bid to ensure a level-playing field in the Lok Sabha elections.
(With inputs from agencies)
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