Election Commission in search of new poll officer

NEW DELHI: Even as Election Commission stepped into the frame on Wednesday following dissolution of the Delhi assembly, substantial discussions on the poll schedule may start only next week as the poll body is searching for a new chief electoral officer (CEO) for the state. Incumbent CEO Vijay Dev, sources told TOI, is set to move to Chandigarh as adviser to Chandigarh administrator, and a panel of names to succeed him has already been forwarded to the commission for consideration.

"We have received the panel of names from the government and are likely to decide on Dev's successor by next week. Only then can we start the process of reviewing poll preparedness in Delhi in right earnest, which will help us decide on a feasible time to conduct elections in the state," said a senior EC functionary.

Meanwhile, the commission on Wednesday rescinded the notification for the three Delhi bypolls. This followed President Pranab Mukherjee's approval of the Cabinet's recommendation for dissolution of the Delhi assembly.

According to an EC functionary, the commission will now go through the usual preparatory exercise of consulting the state CEO and DEOs, political parties and Union home ministry, on poll preparedness and logistics before finalizing the timing of Delhi polls. "This process may happen over the next few days, preferably with the new CEO in place," the EC official said adding that holding polls by December 20, when polling is due to wind up in J&K and Jharkhand, seemed like a tough proposition.

Sources indicated that a January end or early February election was more feasible and would be held on the revised electoral rolls for 2015, due for publication on January 5.

Dev's relocation to Chandigarh has been necessitated after the post of advisor to Chandigarh administrator fell vacant upon incumbent K K Sharma's transfer to Delhi.