ECI accepts Jharkhand govt's proposal to appoint Alka Tiwari as Chief Secretary of state
Nov 01, 2024
Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], November 1 : The Election Commission of India has approved the Jharkhand government's proposal to appoint Alka Tiwari as the Chief Secretary of the state.
Tiwari, a 1988 batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, is currently the senior-most IAS officer in the state.
Earlier, the Commission had also consented to a five-month extension of the tenure of former Chief Secretary Lalbiaktluanga Khiangte.
Elections for the 81 seats in the Jharkhand Assembly will be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20, with the counting of votes scheduled for November 23.
On October 19, the Election Commission of India (ECI) directed the Jharkhand State Government to remove Anurag Gupta from his position as the Acting Director General of Police (DGP) with immediate effect.
The ECI issued an order stating that the acting DGP should hand over charge to the senior-most DGP-level officer available in the cadre.
This decision took into account a history of complaints and actions taken by the Commission against Gupta during previous elections.
Notably, during the 2019 General Elections to the Lok Sabha, Gupta was relieved of his duties as ADG (Special Branch), Jharkhand, following allegations of biased conduct by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).
On October 29, the ECI held a review meeting with the Chief Secretary, DGP, and other senior officials from Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and their neighbouring states to assess the law-and-order situation for the upcoming assembly elections in both states.
During the meeting, the Chief Election Commissioner expressed concern that politically motivated crimes could undermine the electoral environment and compromise a level playing field.
The Commission has issued strict instructions to intensify efforts to curb the inflow of inducements, including cash, liquor, narcotics, precious metals, and other incentives, to poll-bound states ahead of the elections.
