EC issues transfer advisory before poll

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 16

In view of forthcoming Assembly elections, the Election Commission (EC) has ordered that officials connected with the election work will not be posted in their home districts.

In the transfer advisory to the Chief Secretary and state Chief Electoral Officer, Narendra N Butolia, Principal Secretary to the EC, asserted that the officials should not have completed three years in a particular district in the last four years on or before October 31.

“No district electoral officer, returning officer, assistant returning officer, police officers above the rank of sub-inspector should be posted back or allowed to continue in the Assembly constituency or district where he was posted during the Lok Sabha or Assembly elections prior to October 31, 2017,” the advisory said.

Asserting that the advisory has been issued to ensure free and fair elections, the EC said the officials “indicted” by the commission should not be given any official duty. “The officials against whom the commission has recommended disciplinary action in the past and which is pending or which has resulted in a penalty or the officials who have been charged for any lapse in any election-related work in the past may not be assigned any poll-related duty,” the advisory asserted. Any officer due to retire within the next six months would not be assigned any election-related duty.