ECI exempts states, UTs with upto 5 parliamentary constituencies from circulars on transfers, postings ahead of LS polls

The Election Commission of India Tuesday issued a clarification vis-à-vis its recent circular on transfers and postings, thereby exempting states and union territories with up to five parliamentary constituencies from the directive.

In a communiqué to Chief Secretaries of all the states and union territories and Chief Electoral Officers of all states and union territories, the Commission Senior Principal Secretary Narendra N Butolia, referring to the commission’s instructions dated December 21, 2023, and February 23, 2024, regarding the transfers and postings in wake of general elections to the Lok Sabha, 2024, clarified, “All the DEOs, Deputy DEOs, RO, AROs, and Range ADGs, lGs, DlGs, SSPs, SPs, Additional SPs, Deputy SPs, Circle Officers (or equivalent rank police officers) should be posted out if they are completing 3 years during the last 4 years in the same parliamentary constituency or districts. Thus, the commission's instructions dated February 23, 2024, will apply only to these officers. Moreover, it should be ensured that ROs and AROs are not posted in the parliamentary constituency comprised of their home district.”

“The states and UTs with up to 5 parliamentary constituencies should be exempted from the commission’s instructions dated February 23, 2024,” reads the corrigendum. “The compliance report from the Chief Secretary and DGP of the concerned states may be sent immediately.”

The commission had recently taken strong notice of the alleged defiance of the transfer and posting policy saying that in certain cases officers were being transferred and posted in the adjacent districts within the same parliamentary constituency thereby undermining the spirit of the transfer policy.

The exemption from the directive will now have an overall bearing on at least 19 states and union territories, including Jammu and Kashmir, given the general elections are expected in and around April 2024.

GNS