In a significant development, the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued a circular to the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar, directing that two District Magistrates (DM) and two Superintendents of Police (SP) from Bihar should not be assigned any election-related duties until the completion of the General Election 2024.
The officials affected by this directive are the District Magistrate of Bhojpur, Rajkumar (2010 Batch), and the Superintendent of Police of Bhojpur, IPS Pramod Kumar Yadav (2017 Batch), as well as the District Magistrate of Nawada, Ashutosh Kumar Verma (2010 Batch), and the Superintendent of Police of Nawada, IPS Ambrish Rahul (2017 Batch).
In compliance with the ECI’s order, all four officials have handed over their charges. The ECI has further instructed the Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar to submit a panel of three IAS/IPS officers for each of the respective positions, along with the Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) grading for the last five years and vigilance clearance, by 3 PM today.
This move by the ECI has raised eyebrows in political circles, with speculation rife about the reasons behind such a decision. The ECI, however, has not provided any specific reasons for its directive at this time.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
