GUWAHATI: Election Commission of India issued a set of transfer and posting rules regarding poll officials to the state governments including Assam.
It has directed that all government officers directly connected with the conduct of elections are not posted in their home districts, that they have not completed three years in their respective districts during the last four years or would be completing three years on or before May 31, that the officers against whom the Commission had recommended disciplinary action in the past and which is pending or which has resulted in a penalty or the officers who have been charged for any lapse in any elections or election related work in the past may not be assigned any election related duty.
Further, any officer, due to retire in six months, shall not be associated with any election related duty, that the officers posted on recommendation of the Commission during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections may be exempted from the transfer policy.
The term of existing legislative assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry are due to expire soon.
The advisory dated December 18 reads, “to ensure free and fair election, the Commission has been following a consistent policy to the effect that officers directly connected with conduct of elections in an election going State/UT are not posted in their home districts or places where they have served for a considerably long period.”
The Commission in its advisory has asked for “strict and timely compliance” and also sought acknowledgment from the officials.
The tenure of these five poll-bound states will expire either in May or June 2021.
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