NEW DELHI: Less than a day after the West Bengal government told the Election Commission of India (ECI) it would not immediately suspend officers accused of irregularities in the electoral roll revision, the poll panel on Tuesday summoned state chief secretary Manoj Pant to Delhi, sources said.
Pant has been directed to appear in person at Nirvachan Sadan, the ECI headquarters in New Delhi, by 5 pm on August 13 to explain the state’s stance.
The move marks another flash point in the ongoing tussle between the Mamata Banerjee-led government and the ECI. In his communication to the Commission on Monday, Pant argued that suspending the five identified officials and filing FIRs against them, as instructed by the poll body, would be “disproportionately harsh” and could have a “demoralising impact” on Bengal’s bureaucracy.
Instead, the state government has reassigned two of the officials away from active election duty and initiated an “internal inquiry” into the alleged lapses. The remaining three officers, however, have not been removed from their posts.
The ECI is expected to review Pant’s explanation before deciding on further action, as political tensions in Bengal continue to simmer over the issue.
Pant has been directed to appear in person at Nirvachan Sadan, the ECI headquarters in New Delhi, by 5 pm on August 13 to explain the state’s stance.
The move marks another flash point in the ongoing tussle between the Mamata Banerjee-led government and the ECI. In his communication to the Commission on Monday, Pant argued that suspending the five identified officials and filing FIRs against them, as instructed by the poll body, would be “disproportionately harsh” and could have a “demoralising impact” on Bengal’s bureaucracy.
Instead, the state government has reassigned two of the officials away from active election duty and initiated an “internal inquiry” into the alleged lapses. The remaining three officers, however, have not been removed from their posts.
The ECI is expected to review Pant’s explanation before deciding on further action, as political tensions in Bengal continue to simmer over the issue.
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