The upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections are set to be a heated battle, and the Election Commission of India (ECI) is taking no chances when it comes to ensuring a fair and impartial process. In a major development, the ECI has ordered the immediate transfer of Maharashtra’s Director General of Police (DGP), Rashmi Shukla, following complaints of bias from opposition parties.
This decision was prompted by concerns raised by opposition leaders regarding Shukla’s alleged favoritism towards the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which could potentially compromise the integrity of the upcoming elections.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut was among the first to voice these concerns, stating that the elections could not be conducted fairly if Shukla remained at the helm of the state police force. Raut accused Shukla of being biased towards the BJP, alleging that she had tapped phones of opposition leaders during the 2019 government formation and provided information to Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP leader.
Further solidifying these concerns, Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on October 31, demanding Shukla’s removal. Patole accused Shukla of displaying a clear bias against opposition parties, including Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (SP), citing incidents of political violence targeting opposition leaders in the past 20 days. He also highlighted Shukla’s previous record of illegal phone tapping during her time as Commissioner of Police, Pune, and Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department (SID).
The ECI, recognizing the seriousness of these allegations and the potential for them to undermine the electoral process, swiftly acted to transfer DGP Shukla. The Chief Secretary has been directed to send a panel of three IPS officers by November 5th for appointment as the new DGP of Maharashtra.
This move underlines the ECI’s commitment to ensuring a free and fair election. It remains to be seen how this development will impact the political landscape in Maharashtra, but it has certainly raised the stakes in the run-up to the crucial Assembly elections scheduled for November 20th. The counting of votes for all 288 constituencies is set for November 23rd.
