UP elections: EC shifts officers from Rae Bareli and Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar

LUCKNOW: In a swift decision , the Election Commission ordered the transfer of six senior officials in the Gandhis ’ home turf of Rae Bareli and Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar (CSM Nagar , Amethi ) on Monday .

Though the commission gave no clear reason for the sudden move , sources said the transfers were likely made following complaints by the Congress . Rae Bareli’s district magistrate Amrita Soni has been transferred to itapur , while Sitapur district magisrate Ajay Kumar Shukla has been packed to Rae Bareli . Five other officials, the sub divisional magistrate , additional district magistrate and inpectors have been shifted to non-election duties.

They are BL Saroj (SDM , Dalmau Rae Bareli ), inspector Sudhakar Singh Rae Bareli Sadar ), ML Pandey , (ADM, Amethi), Anil Kumar Shahi , (station officer Mohanganj , Amethi ) and Anand Bajpai ,( inspector Amethi Kotwari ). The ransfers allegedly came after a delegation of Congress leaders lodged a complaint with EC on Saturday suggesting that officers in the district administration in the Gandhi bastion were harassing Congress workers at the behest of the ruling BSP .

The delegation also complained that the district administration stalled permissions to Congress’s meetings , particularly those of Priyanka Gandhi . The Congress had also urged EC to debar the BSP state president and minister in Mayawati government Swami Prasad Maurya from visiting Rae Bareli and Amethi . Maurya’s son is contesting elec tion from Unchahar in Rae Bareli .

The complaint was lodged after an officer in Rae Bareli reportedly stopped a motorbike rally led by Robert Vadra Priyanka Gandhi's husband . Pawan Ku mar Sain , the IAS officer posted in Rae Bareli as poll observer had stopped Vadra’s rally had also been transferred by the EC last week.

To clarify its decision on Sain , EC said : “This decision has been baseless ly linked to certain enforcement action taken by the particular officer in his ca pacity as election observer in an inci dent involving Robert Vadra. The officer acted in accordance with the law and in conformity with EC’s instruc tions . The decision to post Sain to South Goa was in process for a week. Any dif ferent interpretation of Sain’s deploy ment would be completely wrong .”